Tony BennettThe beloved pop singer died Friday at the age of 96, his publicist said in a statement. Bennett has her own style of jazz and pop that is timeless and universally appealing. A particular phenomenon is his popularity among the MTV generation.
Born Anthony Bennedetto in Astoria, Queens on August 3, 1926, Tony Bennett got his start in music after studying singing at the American Theater Wing. He was reportedly discovered by legendary African-American singer Pearl Bailey, who hired him to open for her in 1949. A year later, the singer signed with Columbia Records, releasing hits like “Because of You” and “Rags to Riches.” In 1962, he had an iconic hit with the B-side “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.” He won the 1962 Grammys for Record of the Year and Solo Vocal Performance, his first of 18 Grammys in seven years.
In 1965, recruited by Harry Belafonte to join Martin Luther King Jr.’s march from Selma, Alabama, he risked his career to join the movement for equal rights and an end to segregation. He would go on to speak out on other social causes throughout his life, such as gun violence.
“Life is a gift — even with Alzheimer’s,” Bennett once tweeted. His family revealed to AARP Magazine in 2021 that he’s been battling Alzheimer’s for the past five years, but he still manages to make more music and appeal to a new generation.
When he’s not recording or performing, he’s drawing. His paintings are on display at the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art under his birth name. Since 2007, Bennett is survived by his wife, Susan Crow, and four children, including Antonia Bennett, also a skilled standards singer.
In my opinion, Tony Bennett is the best vocalist in the business. He turns me on when I look at him. He moved me. He’s a singer who understands a composer’s mind, maybe even more so.
Frank Sinatra
