Tony Bennett handed away on Friday (July 21) at age 96, a number of weeks shy of his birthday. Shortly after the world realized that the voice behind “I Left My Coronary heart In San Francisco,” “Blue Velvet,” and numerous different traditional songs had been silenced, his workforce shared some particulars about his closing days. “Tony left us at this time, however he was nonetheless singing the opposite day at his piano,” the @ItsTonyBennett account posted whereas sharing a throwback picture to Tony’s early profession. “His final tune was, ‘Due to You,’ his first #1 hit,” the workforce added. “Tony, due to you, we have now your songs in our coronary heart eternally.”
“As a result of Of You” was written by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson in 1940. First recorded by Larry Clinton and his Orchestra, Tony took a crack on the tune in 1951, making it his first skilled single. The tune reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts and spent ten weeks on the prime place. He would discover his approach as much as the highest once more with “Chilly, Chilly Coronary heart,” “Rags to Riches,” and “Stranger in Paradise.” He would additionally take pleasure in a prolonged profession, discovering success with albums Duets, Duets II, Viva Duets, and his albums with Woman Gaga – Cheek to Cheek and Love For Sale.
Many stars instantly mourned Tony following information of his loss of life. “He was additionally one of many nicest human beings I’ve ever recognized,” mentioned Billy Joel. “His music has all the time made me really feel at dwelling and protected,” mentioned Kelsea Ballerini. “He’s irreplaceable. I beloved and adored him,” mentioned Elton John.
“I had good academics on the American Theatre Wing once I got here out of the service after the Second World Warfare,” he advised Billboard in 2016. “They advised me the way to survive and taught me the way to deal with myself and to be myself and take a look at to not imitate every other singers. They all the time insisted I simply be myself, and I’ve maintained that all through the years. I simply love the truth that in an period the place every part’s based mostly on youth, I can talk with all people — the younger, the middle-aged, and the outdated like me. I’m very content material.”
In 2016, Tony went public together with his Alzheimer’s illness. When his spouse, Susan Crow, spoke with AARP Magazine about his situation, she recalled how Sean Connery had misplaced his means to speak as a consequence of dementia earlier than his loss of life at age 90. “I’m hoping for that with Tony,” she mentioned. “Hopefully, he’ll simply fall asleep one evening, and that can be that. I’m hoping and praying that he received’t take a flip for the more serious that’s actually loopy unhealthy. … There’s loads about him that I miss. As a result of he’s not the outdated Tony anymore. However when he sings, he’s the outdated Tony.”
