Many fans and close celebrity friends are still mourning the loss of beloved entertainer, Tony Bennett. Lady Gaga is the latest star to speak on his passing and pay tribute to the iconic singer.
In a touching tribute to her dear friend and music legend, Gaga said of Bennett:
“I will miss my friend forever,” her caption began. “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.”
Any many are aware, Bennett wasn’t just a musical icon Gaga looked up to. The pair actually had a real friendship that spanned for more than a decade. They recorded two albums together, 2014’s “Cheek to Cheek” and 2021’s “Love for Sale,” both of which won Grammy awards. In addition to that, the duo also performed in the 2021 special, “One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.”
“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. I’ve been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time. We had a very long and powerful goodbye.”
As we previously reported, the amazing New York pop and jazz singer died last week at the age of 96. He passed Friday morning in New York City, according to a representative for the singer. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, but his condition didn’t stop him from performing live or releasing new music occasionally. Not only did he reach the Billboard Top 10 at age 95 in 2021 over his second duet album with Lady Gaga, Love For Sale, but he also celebrated his retirement the same year with two incredible nights at Radio City Music Hall.
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Recalling the great memories they shared, Gaga went on to say, “Though there were 5 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 persons life. 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.”
She concluded her heartfelt message by saying, “I’ll never forget this experience. I’ll never forget Tony Bennett. 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.”