TONY BENNETT. The legendary American crooner has died at the age of 96. His agent made the announcement this Friday, July 21.
[Mis à jour le 21 juillet 2023 à 22h28] The music world today mourns the loss of a true legend: American singer and musician Tony Bennett, who died at the age of 96. A true exceptional crooner, he left behind a colossal musical legacy, with no less than 70 albums that have marked the history of music since his debut in 1949. This sad news was announced by his agent, Sylvia Weiner, to the Associated Press, confirming that Tony Bennett breathed his last in his hometown of New York. Tony Bennett’s career was littered with success, and he quickly became one of the world’s most famous crooners, rivaling icons such as Frank Sinatra. His talent and charismatic voice kept him in the limelight for decades, capturing the hearts of millions of fans around the world. His ability to express the lyrics of his songs with emotion and sincerity has left an indelible mark on the music industry.
In 2003, Tony Bennett made a memorable appearance in the movie “Almighty Bruce”, demonstrating his timeless popularity. Three years later, he made an album of exceptional duets, collaborating with big-name stars such as Stevie Wonder, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, Celine Dion, Sting, Michael Bublé and George Michael. Each of these collaborations has been a real musical nugget, testifying to the admiration and respect that artists from different generations have for him. But this is probably his last great collaboration with Lady Gaga on the album “Cheek to Cheek”, released in 2014, which will be remembered. This improbable but daring duet captivated the public, harmoniously merging the musical universes of the two artists. The result was critically acclaimed and commercially successful.
However, the last few years have been marked by a quiet battle with illness for Tony Bennett. In 2016, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, news that only became public knowledge in 2021. Despite this ordeal, the singer continued to perform on stage for as long as possible, demonstrating his unwavering passion for music and his desire to share his voice with the world. Today, the music world remembers Tony Bennett as a legend who marked his time and inspired entire generations of artists. His unique and haunting voice will continue to resonate through his recordings, reminding everyone why he will forever remain a mainstay in world music.
How did Tony Bennett die?
The American singer and musician Tony Bennett therefore died at his home in New York, the city where he was from. Aged 76, he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, which caused him memory problems. His illness had not been made public until 2021. However, the artist’s agent, Sylvia Weiner, does not say more about the precise circumstances of Tony Bennett’s death.
Short biography of Tony Bennett
Born on August 3, 1926 in Queens, New York, Tony Bennett grew up in an Italian-American family. Very young, he was passionate about jazz and began to sing at the age of ten. He joined the High School of Industrial Art in New York, where he studied music and painting. Enlisted in the US Army in 1944, he participated in the end of the Second World War and the liberation of Nazi concentration camps. After several years in Germany, he returned to the United States and released his first big hit, the song Because of You, released in 1951.
A pacifist figure, Tony Bennett is committed to civil rights. At the height of his fame in the 1950s and 1960s, he later experienced a bad patch and almost succumbed to a cocaine overdose in 1979. He made a successful comeback in the 1980s and conquered a new audience. Author of more than 70 albums throughout a 70-year career, Tony Bennett will remain one of the most popular artists of his generation. Multi-awarded (he has some 20 Grammy Awards!), his flagship song, I Left My Heart in San Franciscowas even included in the Grammy Hall of Fame.
In his last years, he collaborated with many popular artists, from Mariah Carey to Lady Gaga via Diana Krall, Aretha Franklin or Amy Winehouse.
The women of Tony Bennett
In his life, Tony Bennett had two wives: the first was Patricia Beech, an arts student from Ohio and a jazz fan, whom he had known the previous year after a night out at a nightclub in Cleveland and whom he married on February 12, 1952. Together they had two sons, Danny and Dae, born in 1954 and 1955. The couple separated in 1971. actress Sandra Grant, with whom he has two daughters, Joanna, born in 1970 and Antonia, born in 1974. The couple separated in 1984.
In 2007, Tony Bennett married a second wife, Susan Crow, a philanthropist 40 years his junior. Both had met at a concert: he was 60, she was 19.