Tony Bennett Dead at 96

Ryan Schwartz
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Legendary performer Tony Bennett, a 20-time Grammy Award winner who sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, died Friday at the age of 96.

His publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed his death to the New York Times.

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Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. His family first went public with his diagnosis in February 2021. He retired from touring shortly thereafter, and his final performance was filmed for the CBS concert special One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.

Together, Bennett and Gaga released two albums: 2014’s Cheek to Cheek, which was Bennett’s last No. 1 record, and 2021’s Love for Sale, which marked his final studio release.

His career spanned more than 70 years. He released a whopping 61 studio albums and 11 live albums. His first LP, Because of You, was released in 1952.

Four of his albums were certified platinum, including I Left My Heart in San Francisco (1962), MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett (1994), Duets: An American Classic (2006) and Duets II (2011). Top 10 singles included “Because of You,” “Cold, Cold Heart,” “Rags to Riches,” “Strangers in Paradise,” “There’ll Be No Teardrops Tonight,” “Cinnamon Sinner” and “In the Middle of an Island.”

Bennett is most commonly associated with the song “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” the title track from his 1962 album — his first to land in the Top 5 on the Billboard 200.  The album earned him his first career Grammys (for Record of the Year and Best Solo Vocal Performance, Male). The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994, while Bennett received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

His acting credits included episodes of The Danny Thomas Show, 77 Sunset Strip and Evening Shade. He also appeared as himself on The Doris Day Show, Cybill, Suddenly Susan, Cosby, Saturday Night Live, Entourage, Blue Bloods and 30 Rock.

On the big screen, he appeared in The Oscar, The Scout, Analyze This, Bruce Almighty and Muppets Most Wanted.

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