One year after he learned he had Alzheimer’s disease, Tony Bennet t insisted that he continue to record, perform and tour. “He tells me, ‘Hey, as long as my voice doesn’t wobble and people like me, I’m going to keep singing until I die,’” his son and manager Danny Bennett said in 2017.
Over his long life, Tony, who passed away on July 21 at age 96, never let anything keep him from the stage. “I could have retired years ago,” he said, “but I just love what I’m doing.” And it always showed.
The Grammy-winning star, born Anthony Benedetto to Italian immigrant parents in Queens, N.Y., lost his father at age 10. “My father inspired my love for music,” said Tony, who worked in a laundry, as an elevator operator and as a copy boy to help his family. At one point in his youth, he made $15 a week as a singing waiter. “It was almost Chaplinesque,” Tony recalled. “I’d get a request, and [the other waiters would] teach it to me right on the spot.”
In the early hours, he’d slip into nightclubs to watch jazz musicians jam. Occasionally, he’d even be invited to sing. Tony was just gaining traction as a performer — he called himself Joe Bari — when he was drafted to serve in the Army infantry during WWII. “A front-row seat in hell,” said Tony, who was among the troops who liberated a subcamp of the infamous Dachau concentration camp in Germany.
NIGHT AND DAY
This story is from the August 14, 2023 edition of Closer US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 14, 2023 edition of Closer US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
MY LIFE IN 10 Pictures
BOLD AND brash, Mary Kathleen Turner burst onto the scene in the ’80s to become one of the sexiest and most acclaimed actresses of her generation.
HOW TO SURVIVE ALLERGY SEASON
A FEW SIMPLE TRICKS FOR RELIEF ARE NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT
THE MAN Who Tried to Save Her
A YOUNG MUSICIAN SOUGHT TO CHANGE THE COURSE OF THE PERFORMER'S LIFE SIX MONTHS BEFORE HER DEATH
With Age COMES WISDOM
The Dynasty and Colbys alum opens up about his amazing life and the lessons he's learned
He Was a FAMILY MAN
THE MONKEES FRONTMAN FELT TRUE HAPPINESS SURROUNDED BY THE PEOPLE HE LOVED
Inside Their SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP
THE PAIR’S WARM AND SUPPORTIVE RELATIONSHIP WOULD LAST FOR DECADES
Little House on the Prairie 50 Years OF LOVE, FAMILY &FAITH
THE CAST OF THE BELOVED TV SERIES SHARE SECRETS, SPECIAL MOMENTS AND MEMORIES
MY LIFE IN 10 Pictures
WHILE GROWING up in Mountain Brook, Ala., Courteney Bass Cox never had designs on being an actress.
Memories of My Mother CASS ELLIOT
THE ONLY CHILD OF THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS SINGER MAKES PEACE WITH THE PAST IN A NEW MEMOIR
Meet My NEW BOYFRIEND
On a recent spring morning, Valerie Bertinelli left the CBS studios in New York City with a smile on her face and a new man at her side.