Tony Bennett, legendary singer and master of the American songbook, dies at 96

"I've never worked a day in my life," Tony Bennett told USA TODAY in 2011, "because I love what I do." The great singer cited that bit of Confucian wisdom often. In a career spanning more than six decades, Bennett conveyed that joy and inspired it in others.

Bennett died Friday at age 96, just two weeks short of his birthday. Publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett’s death to USA TODAY and said he died in New York, his hometown. There was no specific cause, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.

"From his first performances as a singing waiter in Queens to his last performances in 2021 at Radio City Music Hall, Tony delighted in performing the songs he loved and making people happy," wrote Bennett's wife Susan and son Danny in an Instagram tribute Friday. "And as sad as today has been for all of us we can find joy in Tony’s legacy forever."

No vocalist celebrated the American songbook more energetically or prolifically than the man born Anthony Dominick Benedetto. Influenced by the jazz and pop icons who preceded him − none more than Frank Sinatra, but also Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Jimmy Durante − Bennett wielded his lush, gleaming tenor with a distinct freshness and a sense of yearning that served him well in early hits such as "Rags to Riches" and his cover of "Stranger In Paradise" (both released in 1953), and his signature tune, "I Left My Heart In San Francisco."

Bennett also could bring an intimate, conversational quality to songs. His readings of standards such as "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Put On a Happy Face" demonstrated his capacity for playfulness and a lovely, unforced wit. He could swing with the best of them, collaborating with Count Basie and various top jazz artists and releasing landmark albums such as "The White House Sessions − Live 1962" with Dave Brubeck and a pair of albums with pianist Bill Evans in the '70s.

Many considered Bennett the last of the great interpretive singers, but he always begged to differ. He was a champion of other artists, old and new. He paired up with k.d. lang and Elvis Costello on the 1994 album "MTV Unplugged,"often heralded as his comeback. On his multiplatinum "Duets" albums, he collaborated with pop stars from Barbra Streisand and Paul McCartney to John Legend and Carrie Underwood. 

Lady Gaga, another artist featured in that series, was Bennett’s partner for the 2014 album "Cheek to Cheek" and 2021 album "Love for Sale." The beloved musician and the pop diva became an inescapable artistic couple, signaling Bennett’s enduring passion for his own work and for promoting others’, which never waned.

The two made "Love for Sale" together over two years from 2018 to 2020 and with some urgency – in early 2021 Bennett revealed he was battling Alzheimer's disease. He said in an interview with AARP that he was first diagnosed in 2016.

'Love for Sale':Tony Bennett earned Guinness World Record with Lady Gaga album

According to the story, he had yet to experience common symptoms like disorientation or episodes of terror, rage or depression at the time, "but there was little doubt that the disease had progressed."

Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, who diagnosed Bennett, said the singer had some “cognitive issues, but multiple other areas of his brain are still resilient and functioning well."

The Alzheimer's Association defines Alzheimer's disease as "a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior."

Still, Lady Gaga was emotional when she talked about making that 2021 album with Bennet's health declining.

"It was a gift," the pop chameleon (real name: Stefani Germanotta) told USA TODAY at the time. "It's a gift that I will hold in my heart till my last breath. My time with Tony has changed me forever. Frank Sinatra said he was the best singer in the world, and I don't think Frank lied."

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A month before the album's release, the duo performed two sold-out concerts at New York's Radio City Music Hall in celebration of the album and his 95th birthday. The show was called "One Last Time" and was the singer's last moments on stage. 

"It was absolute magic, I was so moved," Lady Gaga said. "I had to work a lot on breathing because I wanted to cry almost all the time."

Bennett retired from public performances after those shows, but Lady Gaga kept his spirit going at the 2022 Grammy Awards. Singing "Do I Love You," Gaga paid tender tribute to her longtime friend as the screen filled with photos of the two together over the years.

"I love you, Tony, we miss you," Gaga said at the song's conclusion, with a close-up on her face showing signs of tears. The two were nominated in several categories for "Love For Sale," including record of the year.

Both of the albums on which the stars collaborated, "Love for Sale" and "Check to Cheek," won Grammys for best traditional pop vocal album. Bennett earned 41 Grammy nominations over the course of his career and won 19. 

Born Aug. 3, 1926, in Astoria, Queens, New York, Bennett lost his father in childhood. His mother encouraged him and his siblings to sing at home. Bennett attended New York’s prestigious School of Industrial Art (now known as the High School of Art and Design), where he studied music and painting. He dropped out to help support his family, working for a while as a singing waiter.

In 1944, Bennett was drafted into the U.S. Army. He fought in World War II and helped liberate a concentration camp near Landsberg, Germany. His experiences in the army made him a pacifist, he said in 2007's "The Good Life: The Autobiography of Tony Bennett." ("Anybody who thinks that war is romantic obviously hasn't gone through one," he wrote.)

He was a consistent champion of civil rights, marching with Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, in 1965 and supporting Black artists. He was inducted into the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame in 2007 and recognized by the United Nations as a "Citizen of the World."

After being discharged, Bennett turned back to music. He studied at the American Theatre Wing through the G.I. Bill, which he acknowledged with gratitude repeatedly. "They gave us the best teachers," he told USA TODAY in 2011. "I learned how to perform, how to control and hold onto my instrument."

Son and manager Danny Bennett played a large role in reintroducing his legendary father to contemporary audiences in the '90s, using vehicles such as "Unplugged" and "The Simpsons." The elder Bennett, in turn, advocated for younger artists, including those still developing their skills. In 1999, he founded Exploring the Arts, an organization that instructs public high school students in the arts. In 2001, Bennett opened the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in his hometown of Astoria. 

Bennett was married three times. He had two sons, Danny and Dae, with first wife Patricia Beech and two daughters, Joanna and Antonia, with second wife Sandra Grant. He married Susan Crow in 2007.

Along with his musical artistry, Bennett maintained his passion and affinity for painting, which he did using the name Anthony Benedetto. Three of his originals are part of the Smithsonian Institution's permanent collection, including the oil on canvas "Central Park." His portrait of Duke Ellington was accepted into the National Portrait Gallery's collection.

The perpetually busy Bennett would often scoff when asked about retirement.

"No way, I'll never retire," he told USA TODAY in 2014. "I love what Duke Ellington said: 'Retire to what?'"