Legendary crooner Tony Bennett, renowned for his iconic rendition of I Left My Heart in San Francisco, has passed away at the age of 96, according to his publicist Sylvia Weiner.
Bennett died in his hometown of New York, just two weeks shy of his birthday celebration.
At this time, the cause of his death is not known. In 2016, Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, yet he remarkably continued to perform until 2021.
Born on August 3, 1926, as Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Astoria, in the Queens borough of New York City, Bennett had a diverse background. Prior to pursuing his musical career, he served in the U.S. army during World War II and experienced combat in Germany. After the war, as mentioned by the LA Times, Bennett remained in the service as part of the occupying force and began singing with different Army bands.
His official journey into the music world began when he studied singing at the American Theatre Wing. According to NBC News, it was Black American singer Pearl Bailey who discovered Bennett and offered him the opportunity to open for her in 1949.
His signature hit, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, arrived in 1962 as a B-side that launched him to the A-list.
The songs effectively straddled the worlds of pop and jazz while earning critical acclaim: Bennett won the 1962 Grammys for record of the year and solo vocal performance.
The statuettes would prove to be the first of 20 Grammys over his seven-decade career, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He won his last Grammy for his collaborative album with Lady Gaga, “Love For Sale,” which was released in 2021.
Other accolades in his celebrated career include two Emmy awards and being named a Kennedy Center honoree, a Gershwin Prize honoree and a NEA Jazz Master.
Alongside his iconic hit I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Bennett’s repertoire included other timeless songs like Rags To Riches, My Foolish Heart, Because Of You, and I Wanna Be Around.
Moreover, Bennett was active in the civil rights movement. Actor Harry Belafonte enlisted him for Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 march from Selma, Alabama. This move was perceived as a risky career decision as his audience primarily consisted of white individuals at that time.
R.I.P. Tony Bennett.
Listen to Tony Bennett’s sentimental rendition of I Left My Heart in San Francisco via The Ed Sullivan Show on YouTube:
