A Year After Tony Bennett’s Death, Lady Gaga Pays Tribute: “Miss You… Life Is a Beautiful Thing”
Gaga posted a picture of herself after Bennett drew her, then used the image for their album cover in 2021.
On the anniversary of Tony Bennett’s passing, Lady Gaga shared a poignant statement about her friend and musical partner.
The 38-year-old Cheek to Cheek singer posted a picture of herself with the jazz great on Instagram on Saturday, July 20, 2023. The jazz artist passed away on July 21, 2023, at the age of 96, following a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease in his latter years.
“One year has passed since Tony’s passing,” Gaga wrote as the caption for her remembrance photo.
“This image captures everything. I’m incredibly appreciative of Tony’s legacy in jazz music, my ongoing friendship with his wife Susan, and the group of jazz musicians I still collaborate with who were all acquainted with and cherished by Tony.
We will continue to swing. Life is a great thing 💋, I miss you.
The monochrome image dates back to the period when Bennett, dressed in a tuxedo, drew Gaga in a notebook with a pencil for the cover of their joint album, Love for Sale, which was released in 2021.
Gaga sobbed as he showed her his sketch in a 2021 process video.
Despite receiving an Alzheimer’s diagnosis in 2016, Bennett continued to perform well into his later years. In August 2021, he will do his final shows with Lady Gaga and embark on a solo tour in 2019.
The late singer’s doctors claimed that even after receiving a diagnosis, he continued to have a positive relationship with music, which improved his health.
At the time, his neurologist Gayatri Devi stated, “It kept him on his toes and also stimulated his brain in a significant way.”
“He is performing a great deal of tasks that many people without dementia are unable to do. He truly is the embodiment of hope for those suffering from cognitive disorders.”
Bennett got an abundance of love from the music industry upon the death of the “Rags to Riches” singer in 2023, notably Lady Gaga, with whom he had made two joint jazz albums towards the end of his career.
After Bennett passed away, Gaga sent a heartfelt message on Instagram saying, “I will miss my friend forever.” “I will miss being on stage with him, talking with him, recording with him, and singing.”
Following Bennett’s passing, Billy Joel, another of his longstanding partners, paid tribute to him by posting on Instagram that he will “always be grateful for his outstanding contribution to the art of contemporary music.”
“His energy and enthusiasm for the material he was performing was infectious,” Joel and Bennett said in 2001 during Bennett and Bennett’s famous duet of “New York State of Mind.” “He was also one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever known.”
