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Lady Gaga Shares Powerful & Emotional Tribute to Tony Bennett
The duo worked on two studio albums together.
Tony Bennett passed away earlier this month on July 21 after battling with Alzheimer’s disease for seven years. He was 96 years old and passed in his New York City apartment.
In recent years, Lady Gaga became one of his most consistent collaborators, as well as a close friend. Together, Gaga and Bennett released two studio albums: 2014’s Cheek to Cheek and 2021’s Love for Sale.
On Sunday, July 30, Gaga took to social media to mourn her friend, collaborator, and idol, sharing an incredibly emotional and powerful message about Bennett. She wrote:
“I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together. With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony and I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, and gave it all new life as a singing duo. But it wasn’t an act. Our relationship was very real. Sure, he taught me about music, about showbiz life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight. ‘Straight ahead,’ he’d say. He was an optimist, he believed in quality work AND quality life. Plus, there was the gratitude… Tony was always grateful. He served in WWII, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and sang jazz with the greatest singers and players in the world.”
She continued, “I've been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time. We had a very long and powerful goodbye. Though there were five decades between us, he was my friend. My real true friend. Our age difference didn’t matter. In fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people. We were from two different stages in life entirely – inspired.”
“Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful but it was also really beautiful. An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a person’s life,” Gaga added. “There’s such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity. All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life. But as that faded slowly, I knew deep down he was sharing with me the most vulnerable moment in his life that he could – being willing to sing with me when his nature was changing so deeply. I’ll never forget this experience. I’ll never forget Tony Bennett.”
She concluded, “If I could say anything to the world about this, I would say don’t discount your elders, don’t leave them behind when things change. Don’t flinch when you feel sad, just keep going straight ahead, sadness is part of it. Take care of your elders and I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magical. And pay attention to silence – some of my musical partner and I’s most meaningful exchanges were with no melody at all.”
Following this post, Gaga announced that she’ll return to her Jazz & Piano residency in Las Vegas for a total of 12 shows. During these shows, Gaga has performed many of the songs she recorded with Bennett. Coming back to this residency will surely be an emotional experience following the legendary singer’s death.
Sending nothing but love to Tony Bennett’s friends, family, and collaborators!
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
