After singing for seven decades, Tony Bennett dies at 96

Kelly Taylor

Tony Bennett, the popular American singer, passed away on July 21, 2023.

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Tony Bennett died

Tony Bennett was the last in a line of traditional American singers whose unfailingly upbeat attitude crossed generational divides to make him a hitmaker for seven decades.

Hit for 7 decades

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Bennett, who was raised in a time when big bands dominated US pop music, achieved an incredible second act when he began attracting new fans in the 1990s.

Dominated US pop

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In 2014, Bennett, then 88, made history by becoming the oldest performer to ever debut at top one on the US album sales list with a set of duets with Lady Gaga.

Made history

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He was described by his colleague Frank Sinatra as the most prominent vocalist in the world. 

The world’s most popular singer

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His records were notable for their jubilance, enormous warmth, vocal purity, and emotional transparency.

His songs were famous

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On August 3, 1926, he was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto to Italian immigrants; his mother worked as a seamstress and his father as the proprietor of a grocery store.

Born in 1926

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Bennett received the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001, along with 18 Grammy Awards (out of a possible 36 nominations) and two Emmy Awards.

Accolades

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Two months prior to the release of his album, the Bennett-Gaga set "Love for Sale," he made his final public engagement at Radio City Music Hall with Gaga in August 2021.

Last public appearance

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Bennett's death was reported to The Associated Press by his publicist, Sylvia Weiner, who stated that he passed away in his native New York.

Death confirmed

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Bennett died on Friday, July 21, at the age of 96. His cause of death is not known, but in 2016, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's.

He had Alzheimer's

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