What Was Tony Bennett's Net Worth In 2023? How Much the Music Icon Made In His Seven-Decade Career
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Tony Bennett's net worth in 2023 came from a whopping seven decades of making music.
The legendary singer, who died on July 21, 2023, just weeks shy of his 97th birthday, continued recording and performing for years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
“I come from a wonderful Italian-American family. My father died when I was 10 and my family would make a circle around us to help my mom out," he previously recalled to Parade. "She had to raise two sons and a daughter and work during the Depression. She had to work so hard and all of my relatives helped us out. Every Sunday, my family would come over and we would entertain them. They would encourage us and they would say, ‘Look at how Tony is singing’ and ‘Look at how he paints,’ and it really created a passion in me for the rest of my life. I remember very clearly as a young boy saying, ‘This is who I am. My family is telling me that I sing well and I paint well, so I’m going to keep doing that.’ To this day, I still have a strong desire to get better and better as I get older.”
And that he did. Find out how much Tony Bennett earned through his lifetime of hard work.
Related: Tony Bennett's Life in Photos
How did Tony Bennett become famous?
Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Queens to a seamstress mother and grocer father in 1926, Tony Bennett began singing in his native New York City when he was just 10 years old, first getting paid to do so three years later as a singing waiter in local Italian eateries.
Bennett studied art and music at New York's School of Industrial Art (now High School of Art and Design), but dropped out when he was 16 to work odd jobs to help support his family financially. He kept performing at night throughout New York City and had a residency engagement at a nightclub in Paramus, New Jersey.
By November 1944, Bennett was drafted to fight in World War II and fought on the front lines in France and Germany, an experience that he later said changed him for the rest of his life: "I saw things no human being should ever have to see," he wrote in his autobiography Just Getting Started.
Related: Why Tony Bennett Never Wanted to Retire
Bennett remained stationed in Germany after the war ended and joined a Special Services band that entertained American troops. He returned to the United States in 1949 and studied music (specifically the bel canto vocal method) at the American Theatre Wing in New York City. The same year, he released some music on Leslie Records, a small label, but they didn't gain traction in the mainstream.
He did, however, land on singer Pearl Bailey's radar, and she asked Bennett to open for her at a Greenwich Village nightclub performance that Bob Hope attended. Hope became a fan and brought Bennett, then still going by Anthony Benedetto, on the road with him as an opening act, and gave him the stage name Tony Bennett. Bennett was signed to Columbia Records in 1950 thanks to a demo recording of "The Boulevard of Broken Dreams," and the rest is history.
Related: The Last Song Tony Bennett Sang Before He Died
What was Tony Bennett's net worth in 2023?
At the time of his death, Tony Bennett's net worth was estimated at about $200 million. Not bad for someone who's sold more than 50 million records!
Related: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga on Their Album, Cheek to Cheek
How old was Tony Bennett when he sang with Lady Gaga?
Bennett first performed with Lady Gaga for their Cheek to Cheek album in 2014, when he was 78 years old. They toured together to promote the project, and she'd later guest on his Duets album, followed by a second collaboration album, Love for Sale, released in September 2021.
Related: Lady Gaga's Net Worth Revealed
How long was Tony Bennett's career?
Bennett's career spanned seven decades, beginning in 1949. His final album, the Lady Gaga collaboration Love for Sale, was released in September 2021.
Related: Remembering Tony Bennett, The Painter
When did Tony Bennett start his career?
Bennett's career began in 1949 when he first released efforts on Leslie Records. However, his popularity didn't take off until 1951 when he first released his iconic cover of "Because of You" on Columbia Records.
Related: Get to Know Tony Bennett's Daughter Antonia
When did Tony Bennett find out he had Alzheimer's?
Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016, but didn't reveal his condition publicly until February 2021.
Related: Read an Excerpt From Tony Bennett's Book, Just Getting Started
When did Tony Bennett win his first Grammy?
Bennett won his first two Grammys in 1963 for "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," taking home the trophies for Best Male Solo Vocal Performance and Record of the Year. He'd go on to win 18 more Grammys throughout his career, including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.
Bennett won his last Grammy in 2022 for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Love for Sale, sharing the win with Lady Gaga.
