Bennett’s Alzheimer Battle Diminishes Gaga & Us All

Lady Gaga recalls a moment with Tony Bennett when she realized his Alzheimer’s battle was real: “I had to keep it together.” Don’t we all now, knowing the struggle facing our beloved 95-yr-old singing great who seemed indestructible in his exhaustive concert tours?

Lady Gaga explained to 60 Minutes how Mr. Bennett unexpectedly called out her name during a “final” performance together. Despite having worked closely with the famous crooner in their duet jazz “Cheek to Cheek” album & tour since 2014, it was “the first time that Tony said my name in a long time … I had to keep it together, because we had a sold-out show & I had a job to do. But, I’ll tell you when I walked out on that stage & he said, ‘It’s Lady Gaga’, my friend saw me. And it was very special.”

Believe it or not, Mr. Bennett is STILL touring, altho Fox noted some upcoming concerts were cancelled to give the man some rest. Meanwhile, millions of fans have their favorite Bennett memories to share with their kids. Mine was simply seeing the sign at the Fairmont Hotel’s Venetian Room commemorating it was here, in 1961, that he first sang his iconic, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco”… I still can hear Tony singing the song in one of his several concerts at Chicagoland’s outdoor Ravinia Park, but picture him in that packed grand ball room where his heart will always be for us all.

Davd Soul