Ricky Martin Recalls His Dad Encouraging Him to Publicly Come Out as Gay: 'You Gotta Be Open'

The Puerto Rican superstar recalled immediately starting to "cry like a baby" upon sharing his gay identity with the masses

Ricky Martin may not have publicly revealed his gay identity in March 2010 if it weren't for his father.

In a new interview on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live, the Puerto Rican superstar revealed his father, Enrique, encouraged him to take a leap of faith and come out as gay to his fans in order to live his truth.

Thinking back on his life and career before coming out, Ricky, 52, said his professional team encouraged him to continue concealing his sexuality. "'This is gonna be the end of your career,'" he recalled being told. "'You don't have to tell the world. Your friends know, your family know. Why do you need to stand in front of the camera and talk about it?'"

Related: Ricky Martin Makes Rare Appearance with Twins Valentino and Matteo, 15, at Premiere of Palm Royale

While his team "didn't understand the importance" of coming out, the "Livin' La Vida Loca" singer's father did — especially after Ricky welcomed his twin sons, Matteo and Valentino, in 2008.

"He said, 'What are you gonna [do], teach your kids to lie? You gotta be open. You gotta go out... I want to help you. How can we do this?'" said the Grammy winner. "And I'm like, 'All right, Dad, I'm working on it. Gimme a second. I don't know how. I don't know if it's through an interview. I don't know if I want to write a letter and tweet it. I don't know. Gimme a break. It'll come.'"

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Ricky came out to his mom at age 18, though she needed some time to understand the matter. "She was concerned because she was, 'Oh my God, I just don't want you to hurt and people out there are really cruel,' and so it took her a minute to accept it," he said.

Related: Ricky Martin Admits He Has a Foot Fetish and Shares Feet Pics for His Fans: 'I Love Feet'

"But obviously when I did it, I made sure she was on an airplane on her way to see me. So, she was on her airplane, and I did what I did," explained the former Menudo member. "I wrote a letter, and I tweeted it."

Ultimately, coming out was rewarding for Ricky. "I wish I could come out 20 times. It felt amazing. Of course, I started crying like a baby. You know, I pressed send and I was like, 'Oh, that's it?'" he said. "My assistant who's still my assistant, Paco, he was next to me and I'm like, 'I think I need a hug.'"

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.