Tony Bennett’s wife and son are remembering the life and legacy of the iconic singer as well as their final moments with him before his death.
Susan Benedetto and Danny Bennett made an appearance on the Today show Thursday, nearly two weeks after Bennett died at the age of 96, according to publicist Sylvia Weiner. Although his cause of death is unknown at this point, in February 2021, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease five years prior.
But the disease didn’t slow the Grammy-winning singer down at all. He proceeded to go on tour and show up in the recording studio. Danny said when he would ask his father if he wanted to take a break, he would be like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You know, I wanna keep singing.”
He added that when they would “take him to the doctor… he’d go, ‘What am I– why am I here?’”
Danny, who also served as his father’s manager later in life, recalled what it was like growing up with Bennett, saying his dad was a “man of the people.”
“So we experienced that as as kids,” he explained before adding that his family “never took that for granted … It was an amazing journey.”
During his time managing the singer, Danny noted that he helped expand his father’s audience, especially to the younger generation. Bennett also collaborated with several artists throughout his career, including teaming up with Lady Gaga frequently. They even won two Grammy Awards together.
Danny recalled one moment when his dad walked into his office, “and he said, ‘I was watching MTV.’ He goes, ‘I think I can do that.’ And then walked out. And I was like, ‘All right.’”
As Benedetto and Danny relished every moment they got to spend with the singer, their final moments with him are ones they will never forget.
“His last words to me (were), ‘Thank you,’” Danny said. “Can’t say it better than that.”
Benedetto added that Bennett sang until the very end, with his last song being “Because of You,” his first hit. “The music never left him,” she said.
“That he loved me … he would wake up every day and still say that,” his wife recalled. “He woke up happy every day.”
Danny is Bennett’s eldest son, with whom the singer shared with his former wife, Patricia Beech. They also had a second son, Dae Bennett, before divorcing in 1970. The musician also shared two daughters, Joanna and Antonia Bennett, with his previous wife, Sandra Grant. They split in 1984. Bennett then married Benedetto in 2007.