The world lost a music icon today with the passing of legendary pop and jazz singer Tony Bennett.
Bennett was 96 years old, just two weeks shy of his 97th birthday, and of course, will be remembered for his illustrious career that impressively spanned across decades.
The “Rags to Riches” singer easily melted hearts of his fans and his peers. His immense popularity from the 1960’s to the 1990’s garnered praise from his highly decorated peers, such as Judy Garland, Pearl Bailey, and his very own idol, Frank Sinatra.
Bennett passed away in his hometown of New York, and the cause of death has not been disclosed. He had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease back in 2016, which affected his health, but did not stop him from performing.
Over his expansive career, the jazz singer released 70 full length albums and was awarded 19 Grammys, with one of his biggest songs being “I Left My Heart In San Francisco,” which was released in 1962.
He was known to collaborate with artists from all sorts of genres too, and was notably very close with Lady Gaga, and he even worked with Carrie Underwood on a few different occasions.
In 2011, she joined him for a duet of “It Had to Be You” for his Duets II album, which also featured Willie Nelson, and was released in conjunction with Bennett’s 85th birthday.
They also performed the song together at the Grammy’s in 2012, and this afternoon, Carrie took to Instagram to share a few photos of them throughout the years, saying perfectly that Tony was “the epitome of a gentlemen with a God given one-of-a-kind voice.”
She added that it was a great honor to work with and know him:
“Rest in peace, Tony. You were the epitome of a gentleman with a God given one-of-a-kind voice. It was truly a great honor of my career and of my life to get to share the stage with you…”
You can watch their music video for “It Had To Be You” below.
