{"id":1979324,"date":"2023-07-21T10:12:02","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T14:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tony-bennett-dies-at-96\/"},"modified":"2023-07-21T10:15:31","modified_gmt":"2023-07-21T14:15:31","slug":"tony-bennett-dies-at-96","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tony-bennett-dies-at-96\/","title":{"rendered":"Tony Bennett, 96, passes away."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">10<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftony-bennett-dies-at-96%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1979324&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Tony Bennett, Legendary Singer, Dies at 96<\/h2>\n<p>Tony<span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\"> Bennett<\/span>, the smooth American \u200bsinger\u2062 who had\u200d an enduring hit with &#8220;I Left My Heart in \u2063San Francisco&#8221; and remained perpetually cool \u2062enough to win over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/young-americans-must-lead-the-way-in-opposing-additional-covid-shutdowns\/\" title=\"Young Americans Must Lead The Way In Opposing Additional COVID Shutdowns\">younger generations<\/a> of\u2064 fans well into the 21st century, has died at \u200bthe age of 96, \u200bthe \u2063Associated Press reported Friday.<\/p>\n<h3>A Musical Icon<\/h3>\n<p>No less than Frank\u200c Sinatra called the former singing\u2063 waiter &#8220;the best singer in the business&#8221; after he became a star in the 1950s.<span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\"> \u2064Bennett<\/span> went\u2063 on to win 20 Grammy awards, including a lifetime achievement\u2062 award.<\/p>\n<p>The older\u200b he grew, the more diverse his collaborators became.<span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\"> \u2063Bennett<\/span> was in his late 80s\u200c when\u200d he recorded a 2014 album of duets with the outr\u00e9 Lady Gaga and went on a world tour \u200dwith her in 2015. Partners\u2064 on his popular &#8220;Duet&#8221; albums\u200d ranged from former Beatle \u200bPaul McCartney \u200dand soul queen Aretha \u2064Franklin to \u2062country star Willie Nelson and U2&#8217;s Bono.<\/p>\n<p><span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> marked his 90th birthday in 2016 with a party \u2062in New York that drew celebrities\u2062 such as Bruce Willis and John Travolta. The \u200bEmpire State Building put on \u200ca light show in his honor. He \u200balso published a memoir in 2016 titled &#8220;Just Getting Started.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A Battle \u200dwith Alzheimer&#8217;s<\/p>\n<p><span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> \u2063 revealed in \u200bearly 2021 that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer&#8217;s Disease in 2016, but \u200dhe kept recording after \u200bthe diagnosis and later tweeted, &#8220;<strong>&#8220;Life\u2062 is a gift &#8211; even with Alzheimer&#8217;s.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Due to his illness, <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> retired from performing after his final concert at Radio City Music Hall On August 3 and 5, 2021.<\/p>\n<p>A Career of Resilience<\/p>\n<p><span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span>&#8216;s career was \u2064filled with\u2064 highs and lows.<\/p>\n<p>He was in his 50s in the late \u20621970s when he found himself facing a decaying\u200b marriage, a cocaine habit, a $2 million\u200d tax debt,\u2064 and limited career prospects. He \u200cpulled out of it by turning over his management \u2063to his son Danny, who propelled his father to new\u2062 heights of popularity by introducing him to \u2064younger\u200c generations.<\/p>\n<p>Before that, <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> had\u2063 been one of the most popular singers of the 1950s &#8211; thanks to his discovery by comedian Bob Hope \u2062- until the rise of rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll undermined him. He\u2062 rebounded from that by\u2064 aiming at a\u200c more mature audience.<\/p>\n<p>A Legacy\u2063 of Music<\/p>\n<p>Through it all, <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> maintained a cool, \u2064smiling demeanor,\u2062 tried to\u2063 stay faithful to the material he loved best. He\u200b always thought of himself as a jazz singer.<\/p>\n<p>Anthony Dominick\u2063 Benedetto was born Aug. 3, 1926, \u200cin New York City. He\u2062 was only 10 when his father died, and his mother struggled as a dressmaker\u200b to support\u2063 him. As a boy, his love of music was matched only by his interest \u200bin painting. He \u200bwould\u2062 be a serious painter throughout his \u200dlife and sold his works under his\u200b given\u200c name.<\/p>\n<p>After \u200dserving as an infantryman in\u2064 Europe during World \u2063War Two, <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> was singing under the name Joe Bari \u200dwhen Hope caught his act in New York&#8217;s Greenwich Village. The comedian was so impressed that he had the singer change his name to \u2063Tony<span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\"> \u2063Bennett<\/span> and used him \u200bas \u200dan opening act.<\/p>\n<p><span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> signed with Columbia Records, and the result was a string of \u2062pop hits such\u2064 as &#8220;Because of You,&#8221; a cover of the \u200cHank Williams country standard &#8220;Cold, Cold Heart,&#8221; &#8220;Blue\u200d Velvet,&#8221; and &#8220;Rags to\u2062 Riches.&#8221; Legions of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tony-bennett-dies-at-96\/\" title=\"Tony Bennett, 96, passes away.\">screaming \u200bteenage girls packed<\/a> his shows.<\/p>\n<p>As the rock era began in the mid-1950s, <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> \u2064moved away\u2064 from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-cinderella-to-feature-male-fairy-godmother-who-teaches-that-magic-has-no-gender\/\" title=\"New \u2018Cinderella\u2019 To Feature Male Fairy Godmother Who Teaches That \u2018Magic Has No Gender\u2019\">pop songs<\/a> toward jazz, working with some\u200b of\u200d the top \u2063names in that \u2062genre and recording &#8220;Basie Swings, \u200c <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> \u200d Sings&#8221; with the Count Basie Orchestra.<\/p>\n<p>He pulled his material \u200dfrom jazz and the works of writers like Cole Porter, Johnny\u200d Mercer, George and Ira Gershwin, \u200dand \u2062Richard \u2063Rodgers \u200band\u2063 Lorenz Hart.<\/p>\n<p>A Timeless\u200d Hit<\/p>\n<p>In the\u2064 next\u2062 phase of his career, <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> recorded &#8220;I \u200cLeft \u2062My Heart\u2062 in San Francisco&#8221; in \u200d1962 &#8211; a tune by two\u2062 little-known \u200csongwriters that his musical director, pianist\u2064 Ralph Sharon, \u2064had stashed away.\u200d It reached only No. 19 on the Billboard chart but became his signature song.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;People ask me, &#8216;Don&#8217;t you get tired of singing that song about San Francisco?'&#8221; <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> said in a Reuters \u2062interview. \u200c&#8221;I say, &#8216;Do you get tired of making\u2064 love?'&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>In 2016, \u200da statue of <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> was unveiled outside San Francisco&#8217;s\u2063 Fairmont Hotel, where <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> \u2063 first performed the song some\u2062 55 years before.<\/p>\n<p>A Lasting Legacy<\/p>\n<p>When Danny <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> \u200d revived his father&#8217;s career in the late &#8217;70s, \u2063the singer reunited with Sharon, and his 1986 album &#8220;The Art of Excellence&#8221; became his first chart album in 14 years. Through Danny&#8217;s marketing, he was\u200c discovered by a youthful audience that found <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> cool, and he\u2062 appeared \u200doften on the youth-oriented MTV \u200dtelevision network. His &#8220;MTV Unplugged&#8221; album won \u2064the top Grammy as the album\u2064 of\u200d the\u200c year in 1995, as well as \u200cthe best traditional pop vocal performance.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Tony <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> has not just bridged the generation gap, he \u200dhas \u2063demolished it,&#8221; the New York Times wrote in 1994. &#8220;He has solidly connected with a younger crowd weaned on rock. And there have been no compromises.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>His two &#8220;Duets&#8221; albums in 2006 \u2062and 2011\u200d were hits and brought him wide appreciation among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/people-cant-believe-what-top-band-rhymed-with-george-floyd-in-new-cover-of-we-didnt-start-the-fire\/\" title=\"Band Shocks with 'George Floyd' Rhyme in 'We Didn't Start the Fire' Cover\">younger listeners<\/a> because of his collaborations with younger stars.<\/p>\n<p>They also\u2063 appealed \u2063to millions of young people with old classics such \u2063as &#8220;Stranger in Paradise,&#8221; &#8220;The Way You Look Tonight,&#8221; &#8220;Rags\u200c to Riches,&#8221; &#8220;I Wanna Be Around,&#8221; &#8220;The\u200b Lady Is a \u2063Tramp,&#8221; \u2063and &#8220;Body\u2062 and Soul.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A\u2063 third album of duets &#8211; this one \u200dwith stars of \u200bLatin music &#8211; was released in 2012, and he recorded an album with\u200c Lady Gaga\u200c in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>In\u200b June 2007, \u2063 <span data-qa-component=\"highlight-text\">Bennett<\/span> married former teacher Susan Crow after an 18-year relationship. He had four children with his two previous wives, Patricia\u2062 Beech and Sandra Grant.<\/p>\n<p>(Reporting \u2063by Brendan\u200c O&#8217;Brien in Chicago; Editing by Doina Chiacu and\u200c Jonathan Oatis)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tony Bennett, the suave American singer, known for his timeless hit &#8220;I Left My Heart in San Francisco,&#8221; passed away at 96. He effortlessly captivated younger audiences, earning their admiration well into the 21st century. Even Frank Sinatra recognized his talent. The Associated Press reported his demise on Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":1979325,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1979324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-free-beacon"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1979324","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1979324"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1979324\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1979325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1979324"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1979324"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1979324"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}