00:00 Tony Bennett, the smooth American singer who had an enduring hit with I Left My Heart in
00:11 San Francisco and remained perpetually cool enough to win over younger generations of
00:17 fans well into the 21st century, died on Friday, his publicist confirmed.
00:24 Bennett was 96 years old. He died at his home in New York City of age-related causes. Bennett
00:31 went on to win 20 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.
00:37 President Joe Biden on Friday said Bennett's life was legendary. He added, "Tony Bennett
00:43 didn't just sing the classics. He himself was an American classic."
00:48 The older Bennett grew, the more diverse his collaborators became. Bennett was in his late
00:54 80s when he recorded a 2014 album of duets with Lady Gaga and went on a world tour with
01:01 her in 2015. The Empire State Building put up a light show in his honour. He also published
01:08 a memo in 2016 titled "Just Getting Started." Bennett revealed in his early 2021 that he
01:16 was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016. But he kept recording after the diagnosis
01:22 and later tweeted, "Life is a gift, even with Alzheimer's."
01:28 Due to his illness, Bennett retired from performing after his concerts in New York's Radio City
01:33 Music Hall on August 21. Bennett's career was filled with highs and lows. He was in
01:40 his late 50s in the late 1970s when he found himself facing a decaying marriage, a cocaine
01:46 habit and a $2 million tax debit and limited career prospects. He pulled out of it by turning
01:54 over his management to his son Danny, who propelled his father to new heights of popularity
02:00 by introducing him to younger generations. Before that, Bennett had been one of the most
02:06 popular singers of the 1950s, thanks to his discovery by comedian Bob Hope, until the
02:13 rise of rock and roll undermined him. He rebounded from that by aiming at a more mature audience.
02:19 Through it all, Bennett maintained a cool and tried to stay faithful to a material that
02:24 he loved best. He always thought of himself as a jazz singer.
02:30 Anthony was born on August 3, 1926, in New York City. He was 10 when his father died.
02:37 His mother struggled as a dressmaker to support him. As a boy, his love of music was matched
02:44 only by his interest in painting. He would be a serious painter through his life and
02:49 sold his works under his given name. After serving as an infantryman in Europe during
02:55 World War II, Bennett was singing under the name of Joe Barry when Hope got his act in
03:01 New York's Greenwich Village. The comedian was so impressed that he had the singer change
03:07 his name to Tony Bennett and used him as an opening act. Bennett signed with Columbia
03:12 Records and the result was a string of pop hits such as Because of You, Cold Cold Heart,
03:19 Blue Velvet, and Rags to Riches. Legions of screaming teenage girls packed his shows.
03:26 As the rock era began in the mid-1950s, Bennett moved away from pop songs towards jazz, making
03:33 with some of the top names in that genre.
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