Following Tony’s death after a long battle with Alzheimer’s, a clip of the musical legend remembering and mouthing Lady Gaga’s name amidst his dementia battle recently resurfaced online, leaving fans in awe. Tony was diagnosed with the disease in 2016, and after going public about it in 2021, he retired from performing.
During his lifetime, Tony and Lady Gaga collaborated on two albums— Love For Sale and Cheek To Cheek. They have also performed together on multiple occasions, including Tony’s 95th birthday performance, which the video is making rounds on social media again following his passing.
Tony struggled to remember Lady Gaga during rehearsals
@universalmusicbelgium “I had to keep it together”😭🤧 #ladygaga #gaga #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ origineel geluid – Universal Music Belgium
In the touching clip, Tony recalled Gaga’s name as she walked up the stage. One could see the shock on Gaga’s face as she heard her name being called from the Radio City Music Hall stage. “Woah, it’s Lady Gaga,” Tony exclaimed. It was the first time the “Bad Romance” singer would recognize her in a long time, making it a special moment for everyone.
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Gaga told Anderson Cooper in an interview for 60 Minutes that Tony never referred to her by name throughout their rehearsals. “For the first couple of weeks that I saw Tony since COVID, he called me ‘sweetheart,’ but I wasn’t sure he knew who I was,” she said. The singer added that she often tried to refresh his memory by asking questions and with music.
Lady Gaga felt special as he called her name for the first time
The performance felt very significant for Gaga and viewers, especially being one of Tony’s last performances. “That’s the first time that Tony said my name in a long time. I had to keep it together because we had a sold-out show, and I have a job to do. But I’ll tell you, when I walked out on that stage and he said, ‘It’s Lady Gaga,’ my friend saw me. It was very special,” she told Cooper.
In tribute to the late legend, fans have rewatched the video and dropped heartfelt comments on social media. “Watched the @60Minutes segment of @andersoncooper covering Tony Bennett’s last musical performances with Lady Gaga – and his undying love for music – while battling AD. It left me very teary-eyed at the time. What a marvelous entertainer he was!” a Twitter user wrote.
Another person tweeted that Tony was there for Gaga “when the whole world turned against her.”
“Thank you, Tony Bennett, for everything you gave the world and for being the greatest friend anyone ever was to Gaga,” someone else wrote, affirming Tony’s friendship with Gaga.