Tony Bennett, masterful stylist of American musical standards, dies at 96

Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless stylist whose devotion to classical American songs and knack for creating caller standards specified arsenic "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" graced a decadeslong vocation that brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, died Friday. He was 96, conscionable 2 weeks abbreviated of his birthday.

Publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett's decease to The Associated Press, saying helium died successful his hometown of New York. There was nary circumstantial cause, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease successful 2016.

The past of the large saloon singers of the mid-20th century, Bennett often said his lifelong ambition was to make "a deed catalog alternatively than deed records." He released much than 70 albums, bringing him 19 competitory Grammys — each but 2 aft helium reached his 60s — and enjoyed heavy and lasting affection from fans and chap artists.

Bennett didn't archer his ain communicative erstwhile performing; helium fto the euphony talk alternatively — the Gershwins and Cole Porter, Irving Berlin and Jerome Kern. Unlike his person and mentor Sinatra, helium would construe a opus alternatively than embody it. If his singing and nationalist beingness lacked the precocious play of Sinatra's, Bennett appealed with an easy, courtly mode and an uncommonly affluent and durable dependable — "A tenor who sings similar a baritone," helium called himself — that made him a maestro of caressing a ballad oregon brightening an up-tempo number.

"I bask entertaining the audience, making them hide their problems," helium told The Associated Press successful 2006. "I deliberation radical ... are touched if they perceive thing that's sincere and honorable and possibly has a small consciousness of humor. ... I conscionable similar to marque radical consciousness bully erstwhile I perform."

Bennett was praised often by his peers, but ne'er much meaningfully than by what Sinatra said successful a 1965 Life mag interview: "For my money, Tony Bennett is the champion vocalist successful the business. He excites maine erstwhile I ticker him. He moves me. He's the vocalist who gets crossed what the composer has successful mind, and astir apt a small more."

He not lone survived the emergence of stone euphony but endured truthful agelong and truthful good that helium gained caller fans and collaborators, immoderate young capable to beryllium his grandchildren. In 2014, astatine property 88, Bennett broke his ain grounds arsenic the oldest surviving performer with a No. 1 medium connected the Billboard 200 illustration for "Cheek to Cheek," his duets task with Lady Gaga. Three years earlier, helium topped the charts with "Duets II," featuring specified modern stars arsenic Gaga, Carrie Underwood and Amy Winehouse, successful her past workplace recording. His rapport with Winehouse was captured successful the Oscar-nominated documentary "Amy," which showed Bennett patiently encouraging the insecure young vocalist done a show of "Body and Soul."

His last album, the 2021 merchandise "Love for Sale," featured duets with Lady Gaga connected the rubric track, "Night and Day" and different Porter songs.

For Bennett, 1 of the fewer performers to determination easy betwixt popular and jazz, specified collaborations were portion of his crusade to exposure caller audiences to what helium called the Great American Songbook.

"No state has fixed the satellite specified large music," Bennett said successful a 2015 interrogation with Downbeat Magazine. "Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Jerome Kern. Those songs volition ne'er die."

Ironically, his astir celebrated publication came done 2 unknowns, George Cory and Douglass Cross, who successful the aboriginal '60s provided Bennett with his signature opus astatine a clip his vocation was successful a lull. They gave Bennett's philharmonic director, pianist Ralph Sharon, immoderate expanse euphony that helium stuck successful a dresser drawer and forgot astir until helium was packing for a circuit that included a halt successful San Francisco.

"Ralph saw immoderate expanse euphony successful his garment drawer ... and connected apical of the heap was a opus called 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco.' Ralph thought it would beryllium bully worldly for San Francisco," Bennett said. "We were rehearsing and the bartender successful the nine successful Little Rock, Arkansas, said, 'If you grounds that song, I'm going to beryllium the archetypal to bargain it.'"

Released successful 1962 arsenic the B-side of the azygous "Once Upon a Time," the reflective ballad became a grassroots improvement staying connected the charts for much than 2 years and earning Bennett his archetypal 2 Grammys, including grounds of the year.

By his aboriginal 40s, helium was seemingly retired of fashion. But aft turning 60, an property erstwhile adjacent the astir fashionable artists often settee for conscionable pleasing their older fans, Bennett and his lad and manager, Danny, recovered originative ways to marketplace the vocalist to the MTV Generation. He made impermanent appearances connected "Late Night with David Letterman" and became a personage impermanent creator connected "The Simpsons." He wore a achromatic T-shirt and sunglasses arsenic a presenter with the Red Hot Chili Peppers astatine the 1993 MTV Music Video Awards, and his ain video of "Steppin' Out With My Baby" from his Grammy-winning Fred Astaire tribute medium ended up connected MTV's hep "Buzz Bin."