Friday morning the music world awoke with sadness with the passing of the great Tony Bennett, whose emotional and stylish approach to the songs that soundtrack our lives had kept the flame of American standards burning bright.
Listen to Tony Bennett Radio and more on the free Audacy app
According to his publicist, Sylvia Weiner, Bennett passed on Friday, July 21, just two weeks before his 97th birthday. Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, the AP confirms Bennett passed in his hometown of Astoria, New York with no specific cause given at the time.
Throughout his longstanding career over which he has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, Bennett gathered an impressive library of awards, including 20 GRAMMYs, a Lifetime Achievement Award, two Primetime Emmys, NEA Jazz Master, a Kennedy Center Honoree, and was the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens, New York.
“I enjoy entertaining the audience, making them forget their problems,” he told the AP in 2006. “I think people ... are touched if they hear something that’s sincere and honest and maybe has a little sense of humor. ... I just like to make people feel good when I perform.”
Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926, Tony Bennett first began to make waves in the music industry following his military service in World War II, with his first big hit "Because of You," topping the pop charts in 1951 and selling over a million copies.
After some struggles in the '60s and '70s, Bennett's resurgence can be attributed to his son, Danny, who helped get his father's expenses under control and reform his image for a younger audience. Tony began to appear on shows with younger audiences like David Letterman and Conan O'Brien’s late shows, The Simpsons, Muppets Tonight, and various MTV productions.
Bennett’s 1994 MTV Unplugged performance, on which he joked, "I've been unplugged my whole career," featured guest appearances by Elvis Costello and k.d. lang with the subsequent MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett album going platinum and taking home the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Performance GRAMMY three years in a row, and also Album of the Year in 1995.
Related
Tony’s career took another unexpected turn in 2014 with the release of his collaboration with Lady Gaga, Cheek to Cheek, and their joint tour through 2015. With the duo’s second release, 2021’s Love for Sale, Bennett broke the records for the longest run of a top 10 album for any living artist. He also broke the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to release a new album at the age of 95 years and 60 days.
Bennett continued to record, tour, and perform until his retirement after his final shows with Gaga at the iconic Radio City Music Hall on August 3 and 5, 2021.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram