{"id":3053,"date":"2023-07-21T14:06:48","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T14:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=3053"},"modified":"2023-07-21T14:06:48","modified_gmt":"2023-07-21T14:06:48","slug":"remembering-the-life-of-legendary-vocalist-tony-bennett","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2023\/07\/remembering-the-life-of-legendary-vocalist-tony-bennett.html","title":{"rendered":"Remembering the Life of Legendary Vocalist Tony Bennett"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tony Bennett, the famous and timeless singer whose dedication to classic American songs and knack for creating new standards like \u201cI Left My Heart In San Francisco,\u201d which made a decadeslong career that brought fans from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, passed away at 96, two weeks before he would turn 97.<\/p>\n

His publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed his death to The Associated Press, <\/em>saying he died in his hometown of New York. While there\u2019s no specific cause at this time, Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s disease in 2016<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Bennett was the last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century and often said his ultimate ambition was to create \u201ca hit catalog rather than hit records.\u201d He released over 70 albums, bringing in 19 Grammys and enjoyed lasting and deep affection from fellow artists and fans.<\/p>\n

Though he was usually associated with San Francisco, Bennett always noted that his true home was Astoria, a working-class community in the New York City borough of Queens, where he grew up during the Great Depression. He chose his old neighborhood as the site for the \u201cFame\u201d style public high school, the Frank Sinatra School of The Arts, that he and his third wife, Susan Crow Benedetto, helped found in 2001.<\/p>\n

The school isn\u2019t far from the birthplace of the man who was Anthony Dominick Benedetto. His Italian immigrant father inspired his love of singing, but he died when Tony was 10. He credited his mother, Anna, with teaching him a valuable lesson as he saw her working at home, supporting three children as a seamstress doing piecework after his father died. In 1947, Bennett made his first recording for a small label under the stage name Joe Bari.<\/p>\n

His big break came in 1949 when Pearl Bailey invited him to join her revue at a Greenwich Village club. Bob Hope stopped by one night and was so impressed that he offered Bennett a spot opening his shows at the famous Paramount Theater, where teens swooned for Sinatra. However, the comedian didn\u2019t like his stage name and believed his real name was too long for the marquee. \u201cHe thought for a moment, then he said, \u2018We\u2019ll call you Tony Bennett,\u2019\u201d the singer wrote in his autobiography, \u201cThe Good Life,\u201d published in 1998.<\/p>\n