Grammy-Award & Emmy-Winning Singer Tony Bennett Dies At 96
Tony Bennett is dead at age 96. Per Variety, the iconic singer died in New York City on July 21. Bennett's publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed the news to Associated Press on the same day. The cause of death hasn't been released, though the vocalist received an Alzheimer's disease diagnosis in 2016.
Praised by his fellow singers and adored by the public, Bennett made a lasting impact over his decades in show business. While "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" was ostensibly his signature song, the 1962 tune didn't define him by any means. In fact, he received the majority of his critical plaudits during his advanced years, continuing to work far longer than most singers could even dream of: His discography consists of well over 70 albums, and his final album came out in 2021.
Despite his incomparable show business plaudits, Bennett always put family first and was delighted to see how his music affected other families, too. "Personally, my four children and seven grandchildren are what make me proud but for my singing career, there have been so many highlights," he said in a 2016 interview with Forbes. "In the end, it's sometimes the very personal things that happen to you as an entertainer that take on great meaning. I recall after the MTV Generation discovered me, a father and son came backstage and the son told me that he and his Dad rarely agreed on anything but they both loved my music."
Tony Bennett's colleagues loved him as much as the public did
Tony Bennett's incomparable value as a vocalist can perhaps best be described by the way he was admired by others in the music business. With 19 Grammy wins and 41 nominations to his name, the New York native — whose real name was Anthony Dominick Benedetto — enjoyed the wholehearted respect of his industry, but an even better way to see his true worth is the way he commanded respect among his colleagues. In recent years, he was known for his two collaborative albums with Lady Gaga, 2014's "Cheek to Cheek" and 2021's "Love For Sale." He also recorded numerous duets with other notable artists, from Elton John and Aretha Franklin to Amy Winehouse and John Legend.
Even before he enjoyed the kind of status a lengthy, successful singing career can bring, he was deeply respected by some of the best in the business ... including none other than Frank Sinatra, who saved some highly impressive superlatives for Bennett. "For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business," Sinatra spoke of Bennett in 1965. "He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He's the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more."