By Smartencyclopedia Staff *

Tony Bennett, the celebrated American pop and jazz vocalist, known as the torchbearer for the Great American Songbook throughout his illustrious seven-decade career, has passed away at the age of 96, as confirmed by his publicist on Friday.

One of his most iconic songs, ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco,’ gained him widespread recognition in 1962. Moreover, Bennett experienced a remarkable resurgence in the ’80s and ’90s, maintaining his popularity well into his golden years. His musical prowess earned him an impressive collection of 19 Grammy awards, including a lifetime achievement award in 2001, and he sold over 50 million records worldwide.

In 2020, it was disclosed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s back in 2016. Despite this challenging condition, Bennett expressed his gratitude for life through a Twitter post, highlighting that even with Alzheimer’s, life remains a precious gift. Despite cognitive challenges, he astonishingly retained the ability to sing a diverse range of his repertoire.

Bennett’s extraordinary talent spanned multiple genres, including pop, big band, and jazz, garnering him acclaim and attracting numerous eager collaborators. Notably, in 2014, he teamed up with Lady Gaga for the album “Cheek to Cheek,” where they masterfully interpreted a series of jazz standards. This collaboration resulted in a chart-topping No. 1 album in the US, making Bennett the oldest living artist to achieve such a feat—a record he had already set with his 2011 album “Duets II.”

Born as Anthony Dominick Benedetto in 1926 to Italian immigrants, Bennett’s early life in Queens, New York, was marked by poverty. His father’s untimely death at the age of ten did not deter his musical pursuits, as he was already singing professionally by then. As a teenager, he worked as a singing waiter to support his family before enrolling at New York’s School of Industrial Art to study music and painting.

During the final year of World War II in 1944, Bennett was drafted into the US army and served in France and Germany. The war left a deep emotional impact on him, and he expressed his strong disapproval of it, once referring to it as “legalized murder” in a 2013 Guardian interview. Nevertheless, he continued to share his musical talent while stationed in Germany as part of the occupying force. Upon his return to the United States in 1949, his singing career took off, initially adopting the name Joe Bari before ultimately becoming known as Tony Bennett.

His career breakthrough occurred in 1951 when his first No. 1 hit, ‘Because of You,’ captured the hearts of many. Throughout the decade, Bennett produced a string of hits like ‘Blue Velvet’ and ‘Rags to Riches,’ drawing inspiration from the swinging sound of his childhood idol, Frank Sinatra. This propelled him to teen idol status, and when he married his first wife, Patricia Beech, in 1952, a massive crowd of 2,000 female fans dressed in black to symbolically “mourn” the event outside the New York ceremony.

In 1962, Tony Bennett soared to superstar status with his rendition of the classic 1953 song ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco.’ This timeless piece not only earned him two Grammy awards but also established itself as a prominent pop standard of the 20th century.

Nonetheless, as the British invasion took over the US music charts, Bennett’s style began to appear outdated, and he grappled with staying relevant during the 1960s. The subsequent decade brought numerous personal challenges, including the end of his second marriage and a severe struggle with drug addiction. However, his collaboration with pianist Bill Evans on two albums would prove pivotal to his eventual resurgence as a central figure in American music.

A turning point in his life came when Bennett enlisted his son Danny as his manager. By leaving behind the Las Vegas circuit in favor of New York and reuniting with his early ’60s pianist and musical director Ralph Sharon, he made brilliant moves. The 1986 comeback album, “The Art of Excellence,” marked a turning point in his career, catapulting him to new heights. Bennett’s tribute to his idol Sinatra in the album “Perfectly Frank” (1992) reached the top of the US Billboard’s jazz charts, and his 1994 “MTV Unplugged” album earned him a Grammy for album of the year.

Embracing the late-night TV circuit, Bennett collaborated with a wide array of artists, including kd lang, Amy Winehouse, Queen Latifah, and Diana Krall, fostering connections with younger musicians and maintaining his relevance. Notably, his 2006 album, “Duets: An American Classic,” featured appearances from renowned artists such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, and George Michael.

In addition to his singing talent, Tony Bennett was a multifaceted artist. Under his birth name, he created impressive paintings, which are now showcased at esteemed institutions like the Smithsonian Institution and the Butler Institute of American Art. In 2001, he established the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Queens, New York, providing educational opportunities in various artistic disciplines, including fine art, dance, vocal and instrumental music, drama, and film.

Beyond his artistic pursuits, Bennett was a lifelong Democrat and a staunch supporter of the civil rights movement. He actively participated in the historic 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches and took a principled stand by refusing to perform in apartheid-era South Africa.

Throughout his life, Bennett remained dedicated to his passion for performing. Even as he entered his later years, he expressed his love for what he did, revealing that retirement was never an option for him. In a New York Times interview shortly after turning 90, he shared, “I could have retired 16 years ago, but I just love what I’m doing.”

His final concerts took place in August 2021 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, where he performed alongside Lady Gaga.

Tony Bennett is survived by his four children: Danny and Dae from his marriage to Beech, and Joanna and Antonia from his second marriage to Sandra Grant Bennett, from whom he separated in 1979. In 2007, he married Susan Crow, who is 40 years his junior.

Following his passing, tributes poured in from fellow musicians. Nile Rodgers offered “heartfelt condolences” to Bennett’s family, while Joe Bonamassa praised him as “one of the best to ever grace the stage” and described him as the last representative of the greatest generation of singers and musicians.

Source: With Agencies