Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga prepare for his last concert

Tony Bennett’s family announced that he had Alzheimer’s disease in February, this year. Some of the 94-year-old singer’s fans imagined they would never see him on stage again.

Due to the slow progression of Tony’s illness, he continued to record, tour, and perform until his unrelated retirement from concert performances in August 2021.

He has won 20 Grammy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award presented in 2001). Bennett has sold over 50 million records worldwide.

However, the previous summer, with the help of his family, the legendary singer began rehearsing for two concerts at Radio City Music Hall, with his friend and our beloved Lady Gaga.

No one was certain if Tony would be able to pull it off and go through the exhaustion of even rehearsing, but his family believed that Tony’s situation could give hope and inspiration to others battling with Alzheimer’s.

Tony Bennett has been singing hits and swinging jazz for seven decades.

But for Tony, now, those years are a weak memory. Tony spends much of his time in his New York apartment looking through books and old photos.

This is traditionally the time when the music business limbers up for winter, with its biggest record releases.

With new albums due from Abba, Coldplay, Elton John, and Ed Sheeran, this year will be no exception. Rather it will be more exciting since Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga are collaborating. It’s also appearing to be a season of artistic surprises.

Rick Astley announced he’s playing two concerts with Stockport indie band Blossoms. Lady Gaga and Tony Bennet first got together a decade ago, to sing the show tune The Lady Is A Tramp for Tony’s Duets II LP. They followed that with a full album, Cheek To Cheek, in 2015.

The Duo proved to be a perfect match for each other’s voices, and their latest effort, Love For Sale, further adds to their achievements.

Gaga’s singing has sometimes been overshadowed and even neglected by her outrageous dress sense. Over the years, she’s sported fake baby bumps, triceratops horns, and outfits made from wood shavings and meat.

But the musician, 35, listened and sang jazz in her youth and shares a love of the Great American Songbook with Bennett, 95, who has spent a lifetime celebrating the swing era. Hence they collaborate swiftly.

Also read: Sir Elton John’s Lockdown musings has Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, chiming in