When we lose great celebrities there are always going to be those that hit us a little harder because their work meant that little bit more to us. Needless to say, I did not want to make up this morning and have to write that Tony Bennett has passed away. He was one of the truly great singers of any generation. He had a talent that made other great singers stand up and take notice and proved it with a career that lasted until the very end, but now, the voice has gone silent.
This morning the Associated Press reported that Tony Bennett, born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, passed away at the age of 96. While no cause has been revealed, the performer had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease in 2016. And while that may have slowed Bennett down, it never stopped him. He continued to perform and released an album as recently as 2021.
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" was Tony Bennett's signature song but the man had recorded all of the great pop standards, and was revered for the way the interpreted them. Bennett was never the star that contemporaries like Frank Sinatra were, but Bennett never made his performances about himself, it was always about the music.
Despite musical tastes shifting away from his sort of music in later decades, Bennett weathered the storm as he continued to record and perform. In 2006 and 2011 he recorded a pair of Duets albums that had him performing alongside current musical stars. With Duets II Bennett set a record as the oldest person to have a number-one album. He would break that record three years later with Cheek to Cheek, an album of duets with Lady Gaga. The pair became dear friends despite Bennett's battle with Alzheimer's.
While many musical artists, including many of Bennett's contemporaries like SInata, used their musical fame to transition to acting, Bennett never really did. Despite studying to become an actor, the majority of his TV and movie appearances in his career had him cameo as himself. His one big screen acting role came in 1966's The Oscar a movie that was far from a hit.
Bennett had a bit more success on television. Specifically, he had surprising success on MTV in the 1990s. He even performed an episode of MTV Unplugged, the album of which earned him one of his 19 Grammys.
With a career as long as the one that Tony Bennett had, he has fans that span the generations. Whether they discovered his early work or were introduced to him through his numerous collaborations with other performers they love, Bennett seemed to always find a way to remain relevant. All these generations of fans are a little sadder today. Bennett is survived by his wife Susan, daughters Johanna and Antonia, sons Danny and Dae, and nine grandchildren.
