Singer Tony Bennett, famously known for his signature song “I Left My Heart in San Francisco, is retiring from the music the industry.
Bennett, who recently turned 95, has announced his retirement from music and as a result, his pending Fall 2021 tour has been cancelled. The tour had begun before the pandemic and lockdown happened, but was scheduled to resume as the lockdown lifted.
The news was announced by Tony’s 40-year-old son Danny in an interview with Variety. Danny said, “There won’t be any additional concerts. This was a hard decision for us to make, as he is a capable performer. This is, however, doctors’ orders.”
Danny further stated, “His continued health is the most important part of this. It’s not the singing aspect but, rather, the traveling. He gets tired. We don’t want him to fall on stage, for instance. We’re not worried about him being able to sing. We are worried, from a physical standpoint … about human nature. Tony’s 95.”
However, this news is not that big of a surprise as earlier this year, Bennett had announced that he has Alzheimer’s disease, which he was first diagnosed for in 2016. Making the announcement five years ago, Tony’s son Danny Bennett, who is also his manager had told AARP magazine, “Managing my father for the last 40 years has been a privilege and an amazing journey. He never ceases to inspire me with his passion and dedication to all that life has to offer. The last four years has been no exception. He continues to sing and stay fit on a daily basis.”
“I speak for the whole family in thanking his wonderful wife Susan for all the support and love she has given to him. Our wish is that by openly sharing his challenges with Alzheimer’s That we will give hope to all that face this condition and will help end the sigma surrounding this disease. Above all else, we want to be able to help raise awareness, advocate for advancing new therapies and one day soon, finding a cure,” said Danny back in 2016.
However, due to the slow progression in his disease, the singer continued to perform, record and tour the world.
Moreover, Tony’s 2020-21 Tour was going to be his last tour due to his disease. After the long pause cause by COVID-19, Tony was all set to resume his Fall 2021 Tour in September. As per his tour schedule, the 95-year-old singer was to perform in New York, Maryland, Connecticut, Oklahoma and Canada as well.
Tickets were already sold for his shows. As the tour has now been cancelled, the people who bought tickets are to be refunded, and they have been advised to contact the venues for information regarding refunds.
The news comes out almost a week after Tony performed once again with his old time pal Lady Gaga on the occasion of his birthday. The two legendary singers performed a two night concert titled “One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga.” The concert took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York on 3 August and 5th August. Both the events were sold out!
The fans are certainly bummed with the news, but they have accepted the decision made by Tony Bennett to cancel and retire. They have wished 20 times Grammy winner a great life and health ahead.
A fan wrote a sweet message for Tony on Twitter, reflecting on his memory of Tony’s concerts. The Twitter user wrote, “Many of my gifts to my Mom were tickets to see Tony. Last saw him from the 2nd row @TanglewoodMA in 2014 with my mother who started seeing him in the ‘50’s. It was a pretty cool night. Thanks for the music and memories @itstonybennett #toneybennett”
Another Tony Bennet fan tweeted, “Wishing the legendary @itstonybennett a long and happy retirement,” while another wrote, “So much joy given to the world by this man… now he can no longer do what he loves. How do we give back?”
Writing about the founder of Frank Sinatra School of Arts, a fan wrote, “@itstonybennett will be sorely missed on concert stages but always beloved by the legions of fans worldwide who have had the great pleasure to hear him sing. I wish him and his wife all the best on this difficult journey; he most certainly has given us all his best for 95 years!!”
However, the fans of Tony Bennett and his music can cheer a little because this is not the end of Tony’s music. There are several projects that will be out in the near future. Tony’s new album “Love For Sale,” in collaboration with the “Poker Face” star Lady Gaga is to be released in October this year. This news album will also comprise of covers of Cole Porter songs.
Certainly, the duo of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga is legendary. The two artists have also won a Grammy for the 2014 collaboration titled “Cheek to Cheek.” Besides, Lady Gaga is like family to Tony Bennett. As reported by TeCake.com earlier, before the revelation of Tony’s Alzheimer’s disease, Bennett’s son Danny had checked in with Gaga about making the news public. As told by Danny back then, Gaga had said, “Absolutely, it’s just another gift that he can give to the world.”
Tony Bennett has given almost his entire life to the world of music. Not only did he bless the world with his talent of music, but also provided for people to achieve best career in the industry. He is the founder of Frank Sinatra School of Fine Arts, situated in Astoria, Queens, New York. He was not only loved by his fans, but Tony also had a fan in Frank Sinatra, who had described Tony as “the best.”
Bennett has given the audience some of the best songs and albums of all time. His albums such as “The Beat of My Heart,” “Perfectly Frank,” “Here’s to the Ladies,” and “Basie Swings, Bennett Sings,” are just to name a few.
Throughout his long lasting career, Bennett has released over 70 albums, which includes 61 studio albums, 11 live albums and 33 compilation albums. The singer also has three video albums, one extended play and 83 singles.
Moreover, other than the legendary musical awards such as Grammy, Tony also has two Guinness World Records to his name. One record is for being the “oldest person to reach No.1 on the US Album Chart with a newly recorded album” (Cheek to Cheek). The second Guinness World Records was for the longest time between the release of an original recording and a re-recording of the same single by the same artist” (“Fascinating Rhythm” 68 years and 342 days).
