Tony Bennett - # 308

Tony Bennett Dead: Prolific Singer Dies At Age 96 After Alzheimer’s Battle

Legendary singer Tony Bennett has passed away at the age of 96 after a battle with Alzheimer's. The incomparable star's voice and presence will be dearly missed. 

He was number 308 on the list.

Tony Bennett has sadly passed away at the age of 96 in New York City after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.He is survived by his wife Susan Crow and his four children Antonia, Danny, Joanna, and Dae from his previous marriages. His publicist confirmed news of his death on July 21 to the Associated Press.

The legendary singer’s family revealed in February 2021 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016. The disease is characterized by the loss of memory and other mental functions. Susan and her stepchildren spoke in depth to AARP about Tony’s battle, revealing that while he was fortunate to receive care, he was still not quite the same. “There’s a lot about him that I miss,” Susan said. “Because he’s not the old Tony anymore. But when he sings, he’s the old Tony.”

Tony, whose impressive career began in the 1940s, was first discovered by legendary comedian Bob Hope, and became a legend in his own right. Touching the lives of acts like Elton John, Amy Winehouse and even Lady Gaga, his contributions to music as a whole are breathtaking.

Born 1926 in Astoria, Queens, Tony served in WWII and began performing with military bands while in Europe. Once returning to New York City, he entered the nightclub circuit and began performing, becoming an instant sensation (obvious to all of us). Performing under the stage name Joe Bari, Bob Hope asked him for his real name — Anthony Dominick Benedetto. He told him Tony Bennett was much better, and you know, he was right.

Tony’s career was unsurmountable. The winner of 17 Grammy awards and seven Emmy awards for his 2007 prime-time special Tony Bennett: An American Classic, he proved that he was an unstoppable force, no matter the generation. His signature classic “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” won him two of those Grammy awards alone.

An even more impressive feat, Tony was only one of a few artists to have songs charting in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and the first two decades of this century. He reached a new generation in 2014 by collaborating with Lady Gaga on Cheek To Cheek, an album of classic duet covers. The dynamic duo released their second collaborative album Love for Sale in 2021.

And as if he wasn’t impressive enough, Tony left a legacy of dedicated charity work. Tony was frequent donator to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the American Cancer Society. He was a passionate environmental and social activist, having marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma. With wife Susan, he founded Exploring The Arts and the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. This incredible man will be sorely missed, for his music and beyond.

Benedetto was drafted into the United States Army in November 1944, during the final stages of World War II. He did basic training at Fort Dix and Fort Robinson as part of becoming an infantry rifleman. Benedetto ran afoul of a sergeant from the South who disliked the Italian from New York City; heavy doses of KP duty or BAR cleaning resulted. Processed through the huge Le Havre replacement depot, in January 1945, he was assigned as a replacement infantryman to the 255th Infantry Regiment of the 63rd Infantry Division, a unit filling in for the heavy losses suffered in the Battle of the Bulge. He moved across France and later into Germany. As March 1945 began, he joined the front line and what he would later describe as a "front-row seat in hell".

As the German Army was pushed back to its homeland, Benedetto and his company saw bitter fighting in cold winter conditions, often hunkering down in foxholes as German 88 mm guns fired on them. At the end of March, they crossed the Rhine and entered Germany, engaging in dangerous house-to-house, town-after-town fighting to clean out German soldiers; during the first week of April, they crossed the Kocher River, and by the end of the month reached the Danube. During his time in combat, Benedetto narrowly escaped death several times. The experience made him a pacifist; he would later write, "Anybody who thinks that war is romantic obviously hasn't gone through one," and later say, "It was a nightmare that's permanent. I just said, 'This is not life. This is not life.'" At the war's conclusion he was involved in the liberation of a Nazi concentration camp near Landsberg, where some American prisoners of war from the 63rd Division had also been held.

On February 12, 1952, Bennett married Ohio art student and jazz fan Patricia Beech, whom he had met the previous year after a nightclub performance in Cleveland. Two thousand female fans dressed in black gathered outside the ceremony at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, New York, in mock mourning. The couple had two sons, D'Andrea (Danny, born 1954) and Daegal (Dae, born 1955). Bennett and his wife Patricia separated in 1965, their marriage a victim of Bennett's spending too much time on the road, among other factors. In 1969, Patricia sued him for divorce on grounds of adultery. In 1971, their divorce became official.

Bennett had become involved with aspiring actress Sandra Grant while filming The Oscar in 1965. The couple lived together for several years and on December 29, 1971, they quietly married in New York. They had two daughters, Joanna (born 1970) and Antonia (born 1974), and moved to Los Angeles. The two were married until 1983.

In the late 1980s, Bennett entered into a long-term romantic relationship with Susan Crow, a former New York City schoolteacher. Susan Marion Crow, born September 9, 1966, and 40 years younger than Bennett, grew up in a family of devoted fans of the singer. Bennett had once posed for a photograph with Crow's mother, Marion, while she was pregnant with her. As a teenager, Crow had been the head of the singer's Bay Area fan club.

Bennett has also had success as a painter, done under his real name of Anthony Benedetto or just Benedetto. He followed up his childhood interest with professional training, work, and museum visits throughout his life. He sketches or paints every day, often of views out of hotel windows when he is on tour. He was chosen as the official artist for the 2001 Kentucky Derby, and was commissioned by the United Nations to do two paintings, including one for its fiftieth anniversary.