Tony Bennett, the legendary pop and jazz singer who’s illustrious career impressively spanned across decades, has passed away. Bennett was 96 years old, just two weeks shy of his 97th birthday.
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.
The longevity of Tony’s music career is something to be admired. Bennett made his very first public singing appearance at the age of 9-years-old, and really never left the spotlight from then on, performing well into his 90’s. He was once quoted that he wanted to make “a hit catalog rather than hit records,” and Bennett arguably did just that.
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 leaned on the song throughout his career, even singing it just last year at one of his final live shows at the Radio City Music Hall. Though that performance is touching in its own way, seeing Bennett perform it as a young man on The Ed Sullivan Show really showcases the talent that boosted him to a 70 plus year career:
Tony benefited from somewhat of a career resurgence when he partnered with Lady Gaga to release a number of duet albums and perform live with the pop star. In 2011, Bennett released Duets II, which saw the likes of Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, and Carrie Underwood join in and sing with the crooner.
Three years later, Bennett rocketed up to the number one spot on the Billboard 200 album chart with Cheek to Cheek, a duet project that he exclusively did with Lady Gaga. The chemistry between the two singers was incredible to see, considering the near 60 year age gap between the two.
Even when Bennett’s Alzheimer’s began to creep into his life and his career, he still managed to perform his duets with Gaga and create an entirely new fanbase for his sprawling music catalogue.
Bennett released his final album Love for Sale in 2021, truly working until the very end and dedicating his life to his craft.
May he rest in peace.
