- Tony Bennett died in 2023, close to age 100, after creating a successful music career that spanned decades.
- His last years alive were spent with family and doing art.
- The late star’s wife and son revealed the last words he said to them and the song he sang before his death.
On July 21, 2023, the world lost the legendary musician Tony Bennett who died at age 96. A statement posted on his Twitter account by his family revealed the jazz singer was still singing his hit songs before he passed on.
The late artist had a career spanning 80 years, selling millions of records and winning several accolades, including 20 Grammys, and the Recording Academy’s lifetime achievement award in 2001.
His most recent Grammy came in 2022 for Traditional Best Pop Vocal Album for his collaborated album “Love For Sale.” He also enjoyed working with other great artists like Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, and, most recently, Lady Gaga.
Tony was well-known for his hit songs like “The Way You Look Tonight,” “Body and Soul,” and “I Left My Heart In San Francisco.” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of The Recording Academy, described the late star as iconic and a “once-in-a-generation voice in American music.”
The New York pop musician spent the last years bonding with his family. Tony was battling a severe diagnosis that meant his memory quickly dwindled, and he often forgot what ordinary items around him were.
Tony’s Last Years Alive
In 2016, Tony’s son, Danny Bennett — the singer’s eldest son from his first marriage to Patricia Beech — revealed that his famous father was “all about moving forward.” He noted how Tony told him as long as his voice didn’t crack and if people still liked him, he would sing until his death!
By 2021, the artist was already struggling with Alzheimer’s, but his wife, Susan Benedetto, said he still recognized his family members. However, the musician wasn’t always sure where he was or what was happening. Familiar things like forks or house keys became a mystery to him.
Tony Bennett and Susan Crow at the 21st annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Awards in New York on May 30, 1990 | Source: Getty Images
He spent his last days on the 15th floor of a three-bedroom high-rise apartment in New York City’s Central Park. Being a visual artist, the singer once described the view from his home as “a painter’s dream.”
For years he spent hours in his house changing one of the bedrooms into an art studio, which he used often judging by the paint brushes, sketches, and paint tubes sprawled everywhere. Benedetto felt her husband’s pleasure from singing was a “precious gift,” but she wished he’d taken painting seriously because the skill hadn’t taken hold as much as singing had.
The late star’s wife said he woke up happy daily.
Music was also one of the things Tony held on to until the very end, and while the iconic musician passed away peacefully, he ensured to leave his son and wife with a memory they’d cherish forever.
What Are Tony’s Last Words and the Last Song He Sang Before Death?
On August 3, 2023, Danny and Benedetto appeared on the “Today” show for a joint interview revealing Tony’s last words to him. The musician’s touching words to his son, who served as his manager, were:
“Thank you.”
Danny also shared how his father was a people person, and he and his siblings were exposed to that as children. He confessed that he and the family never took that trait for granted, as it was an incredible journey for them.
Singing was something Tony did until he died, according to his wife, and the last song he sang was his first hit, “Because of You.” Benedetto shared how her husband “absolutely” remembered who she was. His last words to her were:
“That he loved me… he would wake up every day and still say that.”
The late star’s wife said he woke up happy daily. August 3, 2023, also happened to be Tony’s birthday, and he would’ve turned 97.
