Tony Bennett will celebrate his 95th birthday the way truest to him: singing alongside Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in the heart of New York City.
Gaga announced One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga on Monday morning (July 19):
One Last Time An evening with @itstonybennett and me at Radio City Music Hall on August 3rd & 5th. I am so honored and excited to celebrate Tony’s 95th birthday with him at these special shows. Tickets go on sale Thursday, July 22nd at 10am ET on https://t.co/diUM1qWy7A ✨ pic.twitter.com/gHEcsWb704
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) July 19, 2021
The first night of the two-show event will coincide with Bennett's birthday.
The 18-time Grammy winner publicly disclosed his Alzheimer's diagnosis in February:
Life is a gift - even with Alzheimer’s. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support, and @AARP The Magazine for telling my story.
— Tony Bennett (@itstonybennett) February 1, 2021
Read more here:https://t.co/R05A4jc5BF⁰
Kelsey Bennett pic.twitter.com/ApxBCpGv0y
The accompanying AARP magazine story revealed that Bennett was first diagnosed in 2016.
"Singing is everything to him," Bennett's wife of 14 years, Susan Benedetto, told the publication. "Everything. It has saved his life many times. Many times. Through divorces and things. If he ever stops singing, that's when we'll know."
The beginning of Bennett and Gaga's partnership—both New York natives—came by covering Mitzi Green's "The Lady Is a Tramp" for Bennett's 2011 Duets II album. They hit crescendo in September 2014 with their joint jazz album Cheek to Cheek, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sparked an intensely popular 37-date tour.
The duo recorded a second collaboration album despite Bennett's Alzheimer's, as discussed in the below CBS This Morning video piece:
18x-GRAMMY winner @ItsTonyBennett is battling Alzheimer's disease. His family revealed his 4-year battle in an @AARP article.
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) February 1, 2021
@GayleKing spoke w/ his wife, Susan Benedetto, who says music still plays a major role in his life & why the family decided to share his diagnosis now. pic.twitter.com/taSobf8mLd
Benedetto confirmed that Bennett "most definitely" can still recognize Gaga. "Gaga is hard to forget," she added of the 35-year-old pop icon.
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