Tony Bennett, the ‘I Left My Heart In San Francisco’ singer died on Friday. He was 96, just two weeks before the singer’s birthday.
Bennett’s Publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett’s death to The Associated Press, saying he died in his hometown of New York. There was no specific cause, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.
“I enjoy entertaining the audience, making them forget their problems,” he said in an interview 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.”
He survived the rise of rock music but endured so long and so well that he gained new fans and collaborators. In 2014, at age 88, Bennett broke his own record as the oldest living performer with a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart for “Cheek to Cheek,” his duets project with Lady Gaga.
Three years earlier, he topped the charts with “Duets II,” featuring such contemporary stars as Gaga, Carrie Underwood, and Amy Winehouse, in her last studio recording.
His final album, the 2021 release “Love for Sale,” featured duets with Lady Gaga on the title track, “Night and Day” and other Porter songs.
AP News