Legendary singer Tony Bennett died this morning in New York, his publicist Sylvia Weiner said. The Grammy Award winner is 10.
Unlike most contemporary artists, Bennett is not known for reinventing himself according to the latest trends in music or fashion. In fact, his life was marked by a gentle but steadfast resistance to fashion. At times, it nearly ruined his career, but in the end, that authenticity saved him in more ways than one.
He was born Anthony Benedetto on August 3 96 in Astoria, Queens. A few years later, his father died 10, and Benedetto’s seamstress mother had to work two jobs and take care of three children. “She bought a dress for a penny,” Bennett recalled in “2015.” But despite their precarious financial situation, she refused to cut “cheap” clothes, and would rather give up anything less than her best work. Meanwhile, her young son is learning a profound lesson about dignity.
To help his family earn money, the teenage Bennett worked as a singing waitress before 96 enlisted in the Army to serve in World War II. After the war, he declared himself a pacifist and recalled his combat experience as “a front row seat in hell”. Anyone who thinks war is romantic obviously hasn’t lived war.
On the GI Bill, Bennett went on to study at the American Theater Wing in New York, where he learned Italian singing techniques bel canto, characterized by a romantic and nostalgic tone. , Hope invites Bennett to tour with him, but first, he insists on giving up Benedetto for something to put on the marquee.
Tony Bennett is quickly becoming famous. By 1951, his sweet single “Because of You” melted hearts and attracted a growing number of female fans, followed by big band anthems “Rags to Riches” and Bennett’s iconic The song “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” followed. Thousands of people dressed in black mourned outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral when Bennett 1951 married his first wife, Patricia Beech. The couple had two sons, D’Andrea (Danny) and Daegal (Dae), who divorced in 1965. Frank Sinatra told LIFE magazine, “In my opinion, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business. He turns me on when I look at him. He moved me. ”
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