Frank Sinatra, a friend and fellow performer of Bennett, referred to him as “the best singer in the business.” Bennett, the last of the great mid-century crooners, is regarded as one of the greatest interpreters of the Great American Songbook ever.
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He developed a following throughout the course of his lengthy career as a result of his interpretations of jazz standards. Additionally, he popularized songs like “Rags to Riches” and his own song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”
The Associated Press was notified by Sylvia Weiner, Bennett’s spokesperson, that the actor had died in his home city of New York. Bennett has been identified as having Alzheimer’s since 2016.
Anthony Dominick Benedetto, who would later become Bennett, was born in Astoria, Queens, on August 3, 1926. When his father left when he was just 10 years old, his mother—a seamstress—was left to raise him and his three siblings by herself.
Jazz legend Louis Armstrong influenced Tony to take an interest in music. He dropped out of high school to support his family by working at an Italian restaurant, and soon became a successful singing waiter.
Bennett told the San Diego Tribune, “I loved that time of my life, and I honestly feel that, if I hadn’t made it professionally, I would be perfectly happy going back to being a singing waiter.” When we would get requests for songs that we didn’t know or all the lyrics to, the cooks in the kitchen would teach us the songs. “It was a great training ground,” I said.
While serving in the US Army as an infantry rifleman during World War II, Bennett’s music career was put on hold; nevertheless, as a member of a band unit, he did entertain the troops.
Bennett returned to work after taking singing lessons at the American Theatre Wing. He began his career as a pop crooner in 1950 after signing with Columbia Records. His first number one single, “Rags to Riches,” marked the beginning of an amazing career for Elvis.
He continued to create hit singles and established himself as a popular nightclub performer, competing against artists like Frank Sinatra.
He recorded “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1962, and it has since come to represent him musically. The song, which was featured on the platinum-selling album of the same name, earned him the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.
Tony Bennett continued to play the timeless standards even if the music he performed in the 1950s and 1960s “went out of style” in favor of genres like rock and roll. Bennett was nevertheless well-liked by younger audiences.
Bennett’s resurgence in the 1990s was notable after years of decline attributable to his appeal to the “MTV generation.” He frequently made appearances on MTV and late-night talk shows, most notably in his own MTV Unplugged special. He became well-known among a new demographic in addition to winning the prestigious Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
He continued to play before sold-out crowds, put out gold-certified recordings, and win countless awards. Duets: An American Classic, his best-selling album from 2006 that featured duets with Elton John, Billy Joel, Celine Dion, and Bono, won the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. One of his greatest accomplishments was this.
He also had enormous success with Lady Gaga, who was a surprise collaborator.
After going on tour together, their duets to well-known songs, Cheek to Cheek, were released as their debut album in 2014. Bennett made a new record as the oldest person to have a new album launch at No. 1 in the charts when the album won the Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
Alzheimer’s disease, a degenerative neurological ailment characterized by dementia and memory loss, was diagnosed as Bennett’s condition in 2016. But he kept on performing for as long as he could.
“He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do,” Gayatri Devi, M.D., the neurologist who made Bennett’s diagnosis, told AARP. He truly represents hope for people with cognitive disorders.
On his final album, Love For Sale, which was released when he was 95 years old, Lady Gaga once more worked with Cole Porter as a tribute. One of the two concerts Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga performed at New York’s renowned Radio City Music Hall was billed as his last before retiring and was titled One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.
Over the course of his seven decade career, Bennett released approximately 70 albums and sold more than 50 million copies. He has won 20 Grammy Awards, among other honors.
One of the finest vocalists of all time, Tony Bennett, may you rest in peace. His stunning, classic records will endure forever.
