Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett shared wholesome moments before the music legend died at 96. His death was announced on July 21st and was met with shock and reactions from fans and celebrities. Recently, Lady Gaga took to her Instagram page to pay tribute to the late legend after staying relatively silent as the news broke.
The post featured a photo of Tony and Gaga in a warm embrace, with a lengthy caption detailing their friendship’s importance, despite the five-decade age gap. “I will miss my friend forever,” she wrote. She added that he taught her “about music, about showbiz life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight.”
Gaga and Tony first collaborated in 2011
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The “Bloody Mary” singer and Tony began their long-time friendship and collaboration in 2011 when Gaga dueted “The Lady Is a Tramp” with Tony on his Duets II album. “I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together. With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony & I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, & gave it all new life as a singing duo,” she added in her tribute.
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They also released two award-winning albums— Cheek to Cheek in 2015 and 2021’s Love for Sale, for which Tony won his final Grammy in April 2022. Despite his battle with Alzheimer’s, Tony continued to perform, even headlining two shows with Gaga in 2021 at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. “‘Straight ahead,’ he’d say. He was an optimist, he believed in quality work,” Gaga wrote in the tribute, attesting to Tony’s work ethic.
Beyond music, they were close friends
Aside from being partners in the music business, Tony and Gaga had a beautiful friendship. The duo had beautiful chemistry on stage, reflecting their cordial relationship outside the spotlight. “Though there were 5 decades between us, he was my friend. My real true friend,” Gaga stated. “Our age difference didn’t matter— in fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people.”
The 37-year-old singer also took the chance to admonish people to care for their elders. “If I could say anything to the world about this, I would say don’t discount your elders… Take care of your elders, and I promise you will learn something special,” she wrote.
For Gaga, being close to an older experienced man like Tony taught her a lot about life. “He served in WWII, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and sang jazz with the greatest singers and players in the world,” she added. “I’ve been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time. We had a very long and powerful goodbye.”