Tony Bennett Performs Final Concert With Lady Gaga To Mark His 95th Birthday

Dec 08, 2021

Tony Bennett was born Anthony Dominick Benedetto on August 3, 1926, in Queens, New York City. He is 95 in the year 2021 and has just retired from performing live for audiences. Bennett is a traditional pop singer that also specializes in big band, show tunes and jazz. He is also the founder of the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts. 

Bennett began his singing career after coming home from serving in World War II. He signed with Columbia Records and in 1951 he had his first number one hit with the song, “Because of You.” It is said that the singer reached his artistic peak in the mid-1950s with his albums “The Beat of My Heart” and “Basie Swings, Bennett Sings.” However, it was in 1962 that Bennett recorded his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

More recently, Bennett has stayed relevant with a whole new generation with his collaboration with musical artist Lady Gaga. The duo released an album together in 2014 called, “Cheek to Cheek.” They also toured together in 2014 and 2015. In 2021, Bennett and Gaga released another collaborative album called “Love for Sale.” Doing so made Bennett the oldest person to release new music at the age of 95 years and 60 days. 

At Bennett's 95th birthday celebration and farewell concert, the music legend performed again with Lady Gaga and the entire experience was very emotional. In February 2021, the Bennett family announced that Tony had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2016. Keep reading to learn more about his condition and how he wowed the crowd at his last show. 

Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative condition that slowly gets worse over time. It is the leading cause of dementia and most patients notice symptoms when they begin to have difficulty recalling recent events. 

After Bennett’s diagnosis was announced, his family also shared that he often doesn’t know where he is. Lady Gaga explained in an interview with Anderson Cooper for “60 Minutes,” “For the first couple of weeks that I saw Tony since (2020), he called me ‘sweetheart,’ but I wasn’t sure he knew who I was.”

Despite these challenges, Bennett’s ability to remember his songs and his musical talent has not changed. “When that music comes on (snaps fingers), something happens to him,” Gaga said. “He knows exactly what he’s doing and what’s important for me, actually, is to make sure that I don’t get in the way of that.”

The night of his final performance, Lady Gaga was shocked as she came on stage because Bennett called her by her name for the first time in years. “That’s the first time that Tony said my name in a long time,” she recalled. “I had to keep it together because we had a sold-out show and I have a job to do. But I’ll tell you when I walked out on that stage and he said, ‘It’s Lady Gaga,’ my friend saw me. It was very special.”

At the end of the show, Gaga showed her great respect for Bennett by offering to escort him offstage. “‘Mr. Bennett, it would be my honor if I could escort you off the stage.’ And he said, ‘OK.’ And I did. And just simply being the woman that got to walk him offstage, that’s enough for me,” she said. 

While seeing someone go through such hardship is never easy, Gaga shared that each time Bennett is able to remember his songs it is his way of continuing to share his gift with the world. 

She said: 

“It’s hard to watch somebody change. I think what’s been beautiful about this and what’s been challenging is to see how it affects him in some ways but to see how it doesn’t affect his talent. I think he really pushed through something to give the world the gift of knowing things can change and you can still be magnificent.”

There is a scientific explanation for why Bennett is able to remember his music better than other things. Dr. Gayatri Devi, Bennett’s neurologist, explained during the show that Bennett still remembers who he is. “Because he’s a performer … He knows he’s Tony Bennett. And he knows how to behave like Tony Bennett,” said Devi.

The doctor added that the musical information is stored in “an area of his brain that gives him real meaning and purpose in his life.” She continued, “Music is housed in different parts of the brain, including parts of the brain that deal with emotion. And therefore, it’s easy to be moved by it when you hear it.”

Because music has always been such an integral part of Bennett’s life, his memories associated with it are tied up with his identity. Devi said, “That’s true of many great people, that they have an over-abiding passion that guides them and everything else is secondary. And for Tony, it’s always been music. And so, it’s no wonder that his brain has pretty much built itself around his music.”

Did the video from Bennett’s last performance touch your heart? Are you a fan of his music? Let us know what you think and be sure to send this on to your friends and family.