New York mourns music giant Tony Bennett, who ‘sang our song to the world’

NEW YORK — New Yorkers, enamored musicians and fans around the U.S. mourned the loss of Tony Bennett on Friday, celebrating the master staccato singer from Astoria, Queens, after his death at age 96 in Manhattan.

Riffing on one of Bennett’s best-known songs, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” Mayor Eric Adams said the music titan had stayed true to his hometown.

“A working class kid from Queens, Tony Bennett sang our song to the world,” Adams said on Twitter. “Don’t let the lyrics fool you — he left his heart right here in New York City.”

In his early years, Bennett, a child of immigrants from southern Italy, cut his teeth performing as a singing waiter in western Queens.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Brooklyn Democrat, tweeted that Bennett was a “true son of Queens whose music reminded us of so many of the good things in life.”

Bennett, who continued to perform well into his 90s, left a particular imprint on his fellow musicians, who strove to sing with the rich voice and jazzy rhythm he brought to the American songbook.

Frank Sinatra once described Bennett as the best singer in the business.

The Long Island-raised Billy Joel dug into Bennett’s style with his 1976 “New York State of Mind,” and the two longtime New Yorkers performed an electrifying duet of the song at Shea Stadium in 2008.

In a statement on Friday, Joel described Bennett as “one of the most important interpreters of American popular song during the mid to late 20th century” and “one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever known.”

“He championed songwriters who might otherwise have remained unknown to many millions of music fans,” Joel added. “He was a joy to work with. His energy and enthusiasm for the material he was performing was infectious.”

In his final years, Bennett struggled with Alzheimer’s disease. But he continued to perform — often with Lady Gaga — after he was diagnosed with the memory-impairing ailment in 2016.

The Alzheimer’s Association, a nonprofit supporting Alzheimer’s research, said Friday that Bennett had regularly worked to raise awareness and money for the fight against the disease.

“For decades, Tony inspired the world with his music and, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, he continued to use that powerful voice to make a very real difference,” Dr. Joanne Pike, the association’s president, said in a statement.

She praised Bennett as a “great friend and champion of the cause.”

Bennett’s final performance came in the summer of 2021 at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan before an exhilarated crowd as the city pulled out of the COVID pandemic. (Former President Bill Clinton attended.)

And on Friday, New Yorkers smiled, though their hearts were aching.

“Tony Bennett’s story was the New York story,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Twitter. “He will be truly missed.”