In that interview, Bennett also noted that music was a family affair that started back in Italy, with his father, who charmed his community with opera. “I became a singing waiter in Astoria, Long Island,” Bennett told WHYY’s Fresh Air in 1998, “and it was the only job that I said, ‘If I have to do this the rest of my life, I’d be happy doing that.’ “ Eventually, he quit high school, working odd jobs to help support his family. But he was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, N.Y. The world knew him as Tony Bennett Bob Hope gave him that name. James Infirmary Blues,” which was made right after World War II with a U.S. He cut his first sides when he was 20 years old, including the song “St. It was like his tailored suits: age appropriate, yet timelessly cool. He was a showman, with an intimate nightclub sensibility. He reached the Billboard Top 10 at age 95 in 2021 thanks to his second duet album with Lady Gaga, Love For Sale, and celebrated his retirement the same year with two touching nights at Radio City Music Hall.īennett hit the scene as a suave crooner in the 1950s and quickly established himself as one of radio’s most popular hit-makers. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, but his condition didn’t stop him from occasionally performing live or releasing new music. He was 96.īennett died Friday morning in New York City, according to a representative for the singer.

Tony Bennett, the internationally famous singer whose voice epitomized the American Songbook, has died. Bernt Claesson | Pressens Bild/AFP via Getty Images Tony Bennett poses while signing an autograph in 1988.

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