NEW YORK (CelebrityAccess) – The legendary Tony Bennett, master vocalist of American Musical Standards (traditional pop, big band, jazz), passed away today (July 21) in his hometown of New York. Bennett’s publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed the news of his death to several media outlets. The cause of death was not revealed, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016 but continued to perform through 2021. He was 96 – and just two weeks shy of his next birthday.
Bennett (Anthony Dominick Benedetto) was born in Long Island City, NY, on August 3, 1926, to John, a grocer, and Anna, a seamstress who had immigrated to the US. John hailed from the southern Italian city of Reggio Calabria, and Anna, born in the US, had parents who immigrated from the same area in 1899.
Bennett, whose ailing father passed away when he was ten years old, grew up listening to Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Judy Garland and others who would influence his singing style. His uncle was a Vaudeville tap dancer and gave Bennett an early glimpse into what show business was. He was singing for money at a very early age, helping his family monetarily as a singing waiter in Queens.
He attended New York’s School of Industrial Art, studying painting and music but dropped out at 16 to help support his family. Bennett was drafted into the United States Army in November 1944, during the latter part of World War II. Having fought in the Battle of the Bulge and joined the front lines that he would describe later as a “front row seat in hell” in his 1998 memoir, The Good Life: The Autobiography of Tony Bennett.
He signed to Columbia Records in 1950, and most hits remained with that label. He may best be known for his hit “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” (1962). He went on to chart in the US every decade of his life and built a reputation for not just singing but embodying the songs he sang – giving them life and some character. “The Way You Look Tonight,” “Body and Soul,” “The Good Life,” and “I Wanna Be Around …” are just a summary of the songs Bennett sang in his recognizable lush tenor.
Bennett left Columbia due to creative differences, and by the end of the ’70s era, Bennett did not have a recording contract, the IRS was coming after his home, and he had developed a drug dependency. After a near-fatal cocaine overdose in 1979, the crooner contacted his sons for help.
Under the tutelage and management of his son Danny, Bennett experienced a career surge in the ’90s and again in the new millennium. He shared a duet with the late Amy Winehouse on “Body and Soul,” released a duet album with Canadian jazz superstar Diana Krall and released a pair of songs with “Mother Monster” – Lady Gaga. Their collaboration “Cheek to Cheek” topped the charts in 2014.
His “Duets” album collection, which paired him with much younger performers, hit the top of the charts in September 2011, making Bennett the oldest performer in history to release a No. 1 album. His last public appearance came with Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in August 2021.
Throughout his prolific career, Bennett won 18 Grammy Awards (with 36 total nominations) and was a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient in 2001. He also garnered two Emmy Awards, Live by Request (1996) and An American Classic (2007), was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2005 and a National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master in 2006.
He is survived by his wife, Susan Benedetto; his two sons, Danny and Dae Bennett; his daughters, Johanna Bennett and Antonia Bennett; and several grandchildren.
RIP.
