Until the very end.
Tony Bennett had been singing and playing piano in the days leading up to his death — despite his battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
“Tony left us today but he was still singing the other day at his piano and his last song was, ‘Because of You,’ his first #1 hit,” his team shared in a statement on Instagram Friday.
“Tony, because of you we have your songs in our heart forever. ❤.”
The song, written by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson, was first recorded by Larry Clinton in 1940. Bennett recorded his own version under Columbia Records in 1951, and the ballad topped the charts upon its release.
Bennett would go on to sing the hit over the span of his eight-decade musical career, including at his last-ever public performances.
Pvnew confirmed that the legendary crooner died at the age of 96 in his hometown of New York City on Friday, just weeks before his birthday.
His publicist, Sylvia Weiner, said there was no specific cause of death.
Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.
“There’s a lot about him that I miss,” his third wife, Susan Benedetto, told AARP Magazine in 2021 while discussing his health news publicly for the first time. “Because he’s not the old Tony anymore … but when he sings, he’s the old Tony.”
After the announcement, Bennett thanked his family, tweeting at the time, “Life is a gift – even with Alzheimer’s.”
During his health battle, the jazz icon was still able to continue performing, touring and putting out albums.
It wasn’t until August 2021 that he sang in his last public performances at Radio City Music Hall with Lady Gaga. He then retired and canceled a planned tour with the “Poker Face” singer, 37, amid his ailing health.
He and Gaga released two albums together: 2014’s “Cheek to Cheek” and 2021’s “Love for Sale.”
“I’m so honored to be his companion in music and his friend,” she wrote on Instagram in November 2021.
“Thank you to the public for loving us, we surely love each other, and you. Believe in love and partnership, even with 60 years between us, and Alzheimer’s, there is nothing like the magic of music.”
“I love you Tony, and the world loves you too. How could they not? ❤️.”
Bennett’s lengthy career saw him release more than 70 albums, sell more than 50 million records worldwide and win 20 Grammys and two Emmys.
Known for his smooth voice and pop hits including “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” Bennett is survived by Benedetto, his sons, Danny and Dae, and daughters, Johanna and Antonia, and nine grandchildren.
