Legendary singer Tony Bennett, best known for singing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”, has died, according to his longtime publicist Sylvia Weiner.
It is understood the iconic singer passed away Friday at age 96.
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In a career spanning eight decades, Bennett wowed Bob Hope and Frank Sinatra, performed live on MTV, had a cartoon cameo on “The Simpsons” and recorded two albums of duets with Lady Gaga, winning 19 Grammy Awards and a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy along the way.
In 1965, Frank Sinatra told LIFE magazine Bennett was “the best singer in the business”.
Bennett and his family opened up in 2021 about the singer being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, but the public had been unaware of his declining health because he kept on performing.
Legendary singer Tony Bennett, best known for singing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” has died, according to his longtime publicist, Sylvia Weiner.
Credit: GETTY
No matter how many awards he won, or how many gruelling hours on tour he logged, or how many times he belted out his signature song, Bennett often said he’d never worked a day in his life – because he loved performing so much.
His stint as a singing waiter at a New York restaurant was only the beginning. Even then, at age 15, Bennett knew he’d found his calling.
“I just decided that … I would love to become successful, and if I didn’t, I’m going to do this the rest of my life,” he told CNN’s Larry King in 1998. “I loved it.”
He is survived by his wife, Susan Benedetto, his two sons, Danny and Dae Bennett, his daughters Johanna Bennett and Antonia Bennett and nine grandchildren.