After years of refusing to discuss his personal life, Ricky Martin confirmed Monday in a blog post on his website that he is gay.

The singer wrote in a blog post about his forthcoming memoirs: “I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am.”

Martin writes in the post: “A few months ago I decided to write my memoirs, a project I knew was going to bring me closer to an amazing turning point in my life. From the moment I wrote the first phrase I was sure the book was the tool that was going to help me free myself from things I was carrying within me for a long time. Things that were too heavy for me to keep inside. Writing this account of my life, I got very close to my truth. And this is something worth celebrating.”

The singer's personal life has long been the subject of rumors, many of which were addressed by The Advocatein a cover story in July, 1999. 

Earlier this year, Barbara Walters told Toronto newspaper The Star her one regret as an interviewer was pressuring Martin to come out of the closet. “A lot of people say that destroyed his career, and when I think back on it now I feel it was an inappropriate question."

The singer has been out of the public eye in recent years, focusing his energies on raising his twin boys, Matteo and Valentino. Martin’s memoirs and a new album are due later this year.