Tony Bennett’s death was sad news for fans and family of the music icon. The “Strike Up The Band” singer, who battled years of Alzheimer’s, is survived by his wife, Susan Crow, and his children from previous marriages— Danny, Dae, Joanna, and Antonia.
Tony Bennett’s daughter, Antonia, shared a touching tribute to her late father on her Instagram page. Antonia posted a photo of herself and her dad smiling while standing side-by-side. “I love my father. I am so blessed to have had him in my life for so many years. I will miss him greatly,” she wrote.
Antonia used to sing with her late father
Antonia was born in April 1974 to Tony and his ex-wife, Sandra Grant. The 49-year-old spent most of her childhood in Los Angeles before moving to New York City. Like her father, Antonia is a singer and joined her father during his performances on several occasions.
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Tony and Antonia bonded well over music, with the late singer praising her talents and skill in a 1985 interview when Antonia was only ten years old. Tony’s 1990 song, “Antonia” was dedicated to her celebrating their closeness and admiration for each other.
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Antonia observed symptoms months before the diagnosis
In an interview, Antonia revealed that she had noticed symptoms of Alzheimer’s in Tony before he was diagnosed in 2016. “I would start to realize we would talk about events in our mutual life together and he would erase like big portions of it or kind of make his own story about it and I started to realize that maybe this wasn’t quite so normal,” she said.
Weeks before his passing, Tony was seen in a wheelchair near New York’s Central Park. His death was announced on his Instagram page with a slideshow of the singer and various artwork. “Tony left us today, but he was still singing the other day at his piano, and his last song was “Because of You,” his first #1 hit. Tony, because of you, we have your songs in our hearts forever,” the caption read.
Fans and singers, including Elton John, Carrie Underwood, Grammy Award winner Keith Urban, and Ozzy Osbourne, have taken to social media to pay tribute to the late Tony Bennett.