She got a kick out of him.
Lady Gaga paid tribute to her friend and frequent collaborator Tony Bennett after the legendary crooner’s death at the age of 96.
“I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together,” the “Bad Romance” singer wrote on Instagram early Monday.
“With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony & I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, & gave it all new life as a singing duo. But it wasnt an act. 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.”
Gaga, 37, noted that she has been “grieving the loss” of Bennett “for a long time,” as he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, forcing him to retire from performing in 2021 after eight decades.
“We had a very long and powerful goodbye,” she wrote. “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. I’ll never forget this experience.”
She concluded her post, “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.”
Bennett’s publicist, Sylvia Weiner, announced that the “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” performer died on July 21 in his hometown of New York City.
He would have turned 97 on Aug. 3.
Bennett enjoyed a second wind in his esteemed music career thanks to his many collaborations with fellow Manhattanite Gaga, whom he met in 2011 when she was just a few years into pop superstardom.
The unlikely duo released two albums together, 2014’s “Cheek to Cheek” and 2021’s “Love for Sale,” both of which were critically acclaimed and won Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
“She’s up there with Ella Fitzgerald, who was the greatest singer in the world,” Bennett once told Parade of Gaga.
The duet partners also went on tour together in 2015 and had two Emmy-nominated TV specials, the second of which spotlighted Bennett’s final concert at Radio City Music Hall in 2021.
“Tony is one of my most favorite people on the whole planet, and I love him with all my heart,” Gaga said on BBC Radio 2 that same year, shortly after Bennett’s family went public with his Alzheimer’s battle.
“I love his family with all my heart. I love his wife, Susan, with all my heart. I can’t tell you how much I learned from him and what it’s like to sing with a legend for so many years.”
Just one month before his death, Bennett repaid the compliment by celebrating his friendship with Gaga in honor of National Best Friends Day.
“Happpy [sic] #BestFriendsDay!” read a post on his Instagram page on June 8. “Who’s that one-of-a-kind confidant in your life? Let’s take a moment to appreciate our cherished friendships!
