Iconic Singer Tony Bennett Dies At 96

Tony Bennett, the jazz and pop singer with work covering eight decades, died on Friday morning. He was 96.

Bennett dropped his debut single, “Because of You,” in 1951 and released perhaps his most famed hit, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” in 1962. He earned a total of 20 Grammy awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. While in his late 80s, his second album of Duets debuted at No. 1 in September 2011, making Bennett the oldest performer to release a chart-topping album.

The singer has also had a host of high-profile collaborations, including Carrie Underwood, Michael Bublé, Diana Krall and Amy Winehouse. He also recorded a pair of albums with Lady Gaga.

Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016, but he continued to sing and record music until 2021. His wife, Susan Benedetto, said he was “not always sure where he is or what is happening around him” where objects such as “a set of house keys can be utterly mysterious to him.”

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Bennett’s doctor, Gayatri Devi, told People that continuing to sing while having Alzheimer’s was helpful for his health. “He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder,” Devi said.

He is survived by his wife, his sons Danny and Dae Bennett, his two daughters Johanna and Antonia Bennett and nine grandchildren.