The world is mourning the loss of a music icon. Tony Bennett died Friday (July 21) at the age of 96. The musician’s longtime publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett’s death to NBC.
Bennett’s cause of death is publicly unknown as of publishing. The singer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.
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Born in 1926, Bennett began his music career after he was discharged from the United States Army.
Bennett opened for Pearl Bailey in 1949 and scored his first hit, “Because of You,” in 1951. He released what became his signature song, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” in 1953.
Listen to Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco”:
With a career spanning several decades, Bennett released over 70 albums and won a total of 20 Grammy Awards, including an honorary Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award presented in 2001.
Bennett charted 23 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 in his lifetime. His highest-charting single was “I Wanna Be Around.” The song peaked at No. 14 in 1963.
In his later years, Bennett teamed up with Lady Gaga to release two jazz albums: 2014’s Cheek to Cheek and 2021’s Love for Sale. Both albums received critical acclaim and won Grammy Awards.
Larry Busacca, Getty Images
Love for Sale was Bennett’s final album. The record, released when Bennett was 95, earned him a Guinness World Record for oldest person to release an album including new material.
Outside of his contributions to the world of music, Bennett hosted his own variety special called the The Tony Bennett Show in 1956.
Tony Bennett Dead at 96
Musical icon Tony Bennett died on Friday at the age of 96.