Music legend Tony Bennett whose real name is Anthony Dominick Benedetto, has died after a long battle with Alzheimer’sDiseasee. He was 96.
The singer’s rep in a statement release to People said: “Tony Bennett, born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Astoria, Queens on August 3, 1926, has passed away in his hometown of New York City at the age of 96 earlier today.”
“The beloved singer, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2016, is survived by his wife, Susan Benedetto, his two sons, Danny and Dae Bennett, his daughters Johanna Bennett and Antonia Bennett and 9 grandchildren.”
The icon’s family confirmed in January 2021 that Bennett had been quietly living with Alzheimer’s disease since 2016.
The revelation came as part of a profile on his life for AARP The Magazine. When news broke of his health, Bennett was still capable of recognizing his friends and family.
Bennett’s wife, who became his primary caregiver, told the magazine that he was “not always sure where he is or what is happening around him” and that “mundane objects as familiar as a fork or a set of house keys can be utterly mysterious to him.”
His neurologist, Gayatri Devi, said that keeping up with his music has been incredibly beneficial for the Grammy Award winner.
“It kept him on his toes and also stimulated his brain in a significant way,” Devi explained, later adding, “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.”
According to Benedetto, the singer was always in good spirits, even during his journey with Alzheimers. “But that’s because he already didn’t understand,” she told AARP. “He would ask me, ‘What is Alzheimer’s?’ I would explain, but he wouldn’t get it.”
“He’d tell me, ‘Susan, I feel fine.’ That’s all he could process — that physically he felt great,” Benedetto said. “So, nothing changed in his life. Anything that did change, he wasn’t aware of.”
Bennett was a master jazz vocalist whose unique style and devotion to the classic American songbook carried him through eight decades of fame.
He released his debut single “Because of You” in 1951 and dropped one of his most popular hits, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” in 1962. Over the course of his iconic career, Bennett amassed 20 Grammy awards including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 — he gained recognition in the Grammy Hall of Fame for “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1994.
Additionally, the late star won two Emmy awards. In 2017, Bennett was honored with The Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, making him the first “interpretive singer” to win the honor.
Among his countless accolades, the “My Favorite Things” singer also won the GLAAD Media Award for outstanding music album in 2003.
