Tony Bennett, the legendary New York pop and jazz singer, has died aged 96.
Bennett was known for songs such as The Way You Look Tonight, Body and Soul and, of course, his signature song - I Left My Heart In San Francisco. He also collaborated with star performers from Lady Gaga to Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra, who called him "the best singer in the business".
During a career that spanned eight decades, the crooner sold millions of records and won 20 Grammys, including a lifetime achievement award.
His death was confirmed by his publicist Sylvia Weiner in a statement to the Associated Press. She said he died in his hometown of New York. There was no specific cause of death, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016.
Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto, to a family of Italian immigrants, Bennett was just 10 years old when his father died, plunging the family into poverty. As a teenager he became a singing waiter before enrolling to study music and painting at New York's School of Industrial Art.
His most famous collaboration was, of course, with Lady Gaga:
He was my mother's - and her mother's - favorite singer after Frank Sinatra. And Dean Martin. And Jerry Vale. And Al Martino. And Louie Prima. And Luciano Pavoratti. And Perry Como. And, of course, Lou Monte - who can forget his timeless rendition of Pepino the mouse?
Well, you get the idea...
"He was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016." Joe Bribem was diagnosed before that but was till selected as POTUS in 2020, despite losing by about 30 million votes.
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