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Frank Sinatra considered him ‘the best singer in show business’. He was the last of the great American crooners. Tony Bennett passed away on Friday, July 21, the US media reported. He was 96 years old. The singer of ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ and ‘I Left My Heart in San Francisco’ made his mark on the music scene for more than seven decades, sharing the stage with Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga. In 2016 he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
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A singer from another era, that of crooners, he reappeared in the 2010s. He then became known with his duets with Lady Gaga, with whom he recorded two albums in 2014 and 2021. “He died today at the age of 96 in his native New York,” said Sylvia Weiner, his agent. He suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
With his impeccable suits, his pocket and easy elegance, Tony Bennett epitomized the post-war songwriter, without falling into kitsch. Few of his classics have survived, unlike Frank Sinatra, another son of Italian immigrants from the New York region, to whom he was widely compared, but far more successful.
Born on August 3, 1926 in Astoria, in the most cosmopolitan neighborhood of Queens, New York, Anthony Benedetto owes part of his singular longevity to his vocal technique. The man who called himself Joe Bari early in his career kept his voice intact throughout his life, able to turn up the decibels in stadiums well into his 80s.
Idolized by Sinatra
His biggest hits came early in his career, in the early ’50s, with “Because of You”, “Rags to Riches” and “Cold, Cold Heart” all reaching number one, and not being followed by any proper hits. But Tony Bennett, who adopted the Americanized stage name suggested by comedian Bob Hope, retained a loyal following, fueled by thousands of concerts and a recognized stage presence.
Despite having a loyal following, Tony Bennett went through a difficult period in the 1970s and 1980s, marked by a cocaine addiction and an overdose in 1979, from which he escaped. Eventually, his son Danny stepped in and gave him a second career introducing him to a younger audience. In 1994, he landed on the MTV music channel for Unplugged, a series of acoustic concerts reserved for up-and-coming young artists. In 2006, he released the album Duets: An American Classic, a series of duets featuring some of the biggest names in popular music, from Stevie Wonder to Bono, who accompanied him on cover versions.
“As a viewer, (I think) Tony Bennett is the best singer,” Frank Sinatra said of him. “It excites me when I see it, it excites me.” And for seven decades he followed Sinatra’s advice: “Never be predictable.”
