Tony Bennett, Grammy Award-Winning Singer, Dead at 96

Tony Bennett, eminent stylist of American musical standards and last of the great saloon singers, has died. He was 96. 

Bennett's death was confirmed to The Messenger Friday by publicist Sylvia Weiner. The singer died in his hometown of New York, but a cause of death has not been made public.

Born on Aug. 3, 1926, in Astoria, Queens, Anthony Dominick Benedetto rose to fame in the early 1950s. He is the recipient of 19 competitive Grammy Awards as well as a Grammy for Lifetime Achievement in 2001. He was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1994.

The musician, who has sold more than 50 million records worldwide, is known for songs including "Because of You" and "Rags to Riches."

In recent years, Bennett was known for his collaborations with pop superstar Lady Gaga. The two released the albums Cheek to Cheek (2014) and Love for Sale (2021) and toured together.

The pair met at a benefit concert, Bennett told Parade. "It was the first time I heard Lady perform, and I could not believe the audience's reaction," Bennett recalled. "The first thing I said was, 'Let's do an album together.' And she said, 'Okay.' That quick. I just love what she did on [their album Cheek to Cheek]. She's up there with Ella Fitzgerald, who was the greatest singer in the world."

In 2016, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In a profile in AARP The Magazine, his wife, Susan Benedetto, explained that the singer was not always sure where he was or what was happening around him.

"I have my moments and it gets very difficult," Benedetto, who married the music icon in 2007, said.

Still, she explained, "We are so much more fortunate than so many people with this diagnosis. We have such a good team. Danny [Bennett's son] handles Tony's business affairs. We have great doctors."

Bennett is survived by his four children — Antonia, Dae, Danny and Johanna — as well as nine grandchildren and his wife.