Anthony Dominick Benedetto

The iconic jazz singer, known for his long career and performing well into his 90s, died July 21 in New York City. Praised for his warm and charismatic persona as well as his interpretations of the Great American Songbook, Bennett’s career spanned more than 70 years and more than 60 albums, beginning with Because of You in 1951. The album landed him his first two No. 1 singles: “Because of You” and “Cold, Cold Heart.” He continued to release classic hit songs, like “Rags to Riches” and “Stranger in Paradise” in 1953 and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in 1962, which won Bennett his first two Grammy Awards. After some years of struggle, starting in the 1960s as rock and roll music took over the charts and he split with his record label, Columbia Records, in 1971, Bennett saw a resurgence in the 1980s after his son took over managing his career, landing him television spots like The David Letterman Show and the MTV Video Music Awards which would connect him with a younger audience. A recording of Bennett’s 1994 performance on MTV Unplugged won him the Grammy for Album of the Year. In later years, Bennett became known for his collaborations with younger artists, most notably Lady Gaga, with whom he released two albums—Cheek to Cheek in 2014 and Love for Sale in 2021—the former a collection of jazz standards, and the latter a Cole Porter tribute album. Bennett’s final performance was with Gaga in 2021 at a Radio City Music Hall show called “One Last Time.” Though Bennett performed until 2021, his wife, Susan Bennett, revealed that year he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years earlier. Bennett won 19 competitive Grammy Awards throughout his career and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.