Singer Ricky Martin has ended years of speculation about his sexuality by declaring himself "a fortunate homosexual man".
Martin, who has previously dodged questions about his sexual orientation, finally came out on his website, saying the birth of his two sons and writing his memoirs had led to his decision.
Writing in both English and Spanish, the Puerto Rico-born singer, who has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, said: "To keep living as I did up until today would be to indirectly diminish the glow that my kids where (sic) born with."
The 38-year-old crossover star, whose biggest worldwide hit was Livin' la Vida Loca, said: "Many people told me: 'Ricky it's not important', 'it's not worth it', 'all the years you've worked and everything you've built will collapse', 'many people in the world are not ready to accept your truth, your reality, your nature'.
"Because all this advice came from people who I love dearly, I decided to move on with my life not sharing with the world my entire truth. Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage. Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions."
Martin, whose sons were born to a surrogate mother in 2008, said he knew writing his as-yet unpublished memoirs was going to help free him from things that "were too heavy for me to keep inside ... Enough is enough. This has to change. This was not supposed to happen 5 or 10 years ago, it is supposed to happen now. Today is my day, this is my time, and this is my moment.
"These years in silence and reflection made me stronger and reminded me that acceptance has to come from within and that this kind of truth gives me the power to conquer emotions I didn't even know existed.
"What will happen from now on? It doesn't matter. I can only focus on what's happening to me in this moment. The word "happiness" takes on a new meaning for me as of today. It has been a very intense process.
"Every word that I write in this letter is born out of love, acceptance, detachment and real contentment. Writing this is a solid step towards my inner peace and vital part of my evolution.
"I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."
Martin, who rose to fame with Latin boy band Menudo, became a solo artist in 1990. In 1994 he played a bartender and singer in the US TV soap General Hospital. He later starred on Broadway and started his own foundation to fight child-trafficking and protect children's rights.