Tony Bennett, the legendary US singer who won multiple Grammy awards, has died at the age of 96.
The musician passed away on Friday in his hometown in New York.
“Tony left us today but he was still singing the other day at his piano and his last song was Because of You, his first #1 hit,” reads a statement shared on his Twitter page.
“Tony, because of you we have your songs in our heart forever.”
Bennett’s demise was also confirmed by his publicist Sylvia Weiner in a statement.
Weiner said there was no specific cause of death, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.
Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in August 1926, Bennet became a singing waiter after his father died when he was 10.
He later enrolled to study music and painting at New York’s School of Industrial Art. He started his music career with the name Joe Bari.
In 1951, he gained prominence after he released ‘Because of You’. Bennett later put out his first album in 1952.
After his battle with failed marriages and drug addiction, he hired his son Danny to become his manager.
He collaborated with singers such as Amy Winehouse, Queen Latifah, Carrie Underwood, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder and George Michael.
In 2014, Bennett released a joint album with Lady Gaga titled ‘Cheek to Cheek’. The album made him “the oldest living act to reach the top of the US charts at 88″.
Gaga described the body of work as “the most important album of my career”. In 2021, Bennett performed his final shows alongside Gaga.
During a career that spanned eight decades, Bennett sold millions of records and won 20 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award.
The musician was popular for his songs such as ‘Body and Soul’, ‘Blue Velvet’, ‘Rags to Riches’, and ‘Perfectly Frank’, among others.
He was also a painter who had his artwork displayed in galleries. He also founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in his hometown.
He is survived by Susan Crow, his wife, and four children – Danny, Dae, Joanna and Antonia.
