Nothing wrong with being gay. Obviously.
But 27 years of marriage is a hell of a long time failing to be honest about who you really are and whilst it's true none of us know what level of knowledge /acceptance his family had prior to today, it does seem somewhat odd to me that it's only now he's being (publicly) truthful.
I'd have thought that there'd be more, not less, acceptance in show business regardless of when he was born (and he's hardly ancient). Off the top of my head I can immediately think of three similarly aged men whose honesty about their sexuality has done their careers no harm at all - John Barrowman, Julian Clary, Craig Revel Horwood, Graham Norton. Actually that's four, there are loads more.
So.... why now? The inevitable conclusion is that either he was effectively pushed if an expose is brewing in the press, or it is indeed a play for the sympathy vote in view of recent bad publicity.
I really really hope his wife truly is accepting of the timing of this announcement and it hasn't been thrust upon her for the above reasons. It's entirely possible of course that they'd come to an 'arrangement' between them years ago as some people do - separate lives and all that. And if that was the case, whatever we may think of that, it must feel rather unedifying to have your marriage thrust into the spotlight like this. Particularly to (possibly) save the skin of someone who'd effectively lied to you in the first place.