July 21, 2023 – Tony Bennett

The music world lost a true legend today – Tony Bennett passed away today at the age of 96. He began singing at an early age, starting his singing career after returning home from serving as an Army infantryman in WWII. He signed with Columbia records and his first hit in 1951 with “Because of You”. He reached his artistic peak in the late 1950s, releasing his signature song “I Left My Hear in San Francisco” in 1962.
With the British Invasion and the rock music era, Bennett’s career and personal life experienced a downturn. In the early 1980s, his son Danny became his manager and helped his father stage a major comeback by introducing him to younger audiences. Bennett started appearing on shows like Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Simpsons, and Muppets Tonight. In 1994, he appeared on MTV Unplugged with guest appearances by Elvis Costello and k.d. lang. The show attracted a considerable audience and media attention. His resulting MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett went platinum and won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
Bennett was also a successful painter. He sketched or painted every day, exhibiting his work in galleries all over the world. He continued to create popular and critically acclaimed work into the 21st century, especially with his collaboration with Lady Gaga. With the release of the duo’s 2nd album Love for Sale in 2021, Bennett broke the Guinness World Record for the oldest person to release an album of new material at the age of 95.
He won 20 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and 2 Prime Time Emmy Awards. Bennett released 70 albums and sold more than 50 million records worldwide over the course of his career. In 2021, it was revealed that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016. But due to the slow progression of the disease, he continued recording, touring, and performing until his retirement from concerts in August 2021. Learn more here.