Lady Gaga recalls ‘magical’ partnership with crooner Tony Bennett
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Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga perform on stage at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb 8, 2015.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW YORK – American singer Lady Gaga, who was Tony Bennett’s friend and collaborator in the final years of the hitmaker’s life, hailed their “magical” relationship and urged others not to “discount your elders”.
Bennett died at 96 on July 21, having lived with Alzheimer’s disease for years.
In 2014, he became the oldest person to reach No. 1 on the American album chart through a collection of duets with Lady Gaga, with whom he also won a Grammy in 2022 for their album of Cole Porter standards.
“With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony and I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernised the music together and gave it all new life as a singing duo,” Lady Gaga posted in a lengthy ode to Bennett on Instagram on Monday.
“But it wasn’t an act. Our relationship was very real. Sure, he taught me about music, about show-business life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight.”
Among Bennett’s many gifts was his stage presence: With a welcoming smile and dapper suit, he sang with gusto and a smooth vibrato in a strong, clearly enunciated voice.
His death prompted an outpouring of gratitude for his life and work, with British singer Elton John calling him “irreplaceable” and United States President Joe Biden saying “he himself was an American classic”.
Lady Gaga’s partnership with Bennett was seemingly improbable – she the boundary-pushing pop star and he the ageing crooner – but in her homage to the legend, the 37-year-old said “our age difference didn’t matter”.
“We were from two different stages in life entirely – inspired. Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful, but it was also really beautiful,” she said.
“An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a person’s life. There’s such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity.”
In her message, Lady Gaga urged people to keep their elders close. “Don’t leave them behind when things change,” she said.
She also reminded people to pay attention to silence, saying that some of her most meaningful exchanges with Bennett “were with no melody at all. I love you Tony”. AFP
