Since Tony Bennett's passing on July 21, social media has been awash with tributes and memories of the legendary singer – who passed away aged 96 – from fellow celebrities, including good friend and collaborator Lady Gaga, and fans alike.
The music icon is now survived by his four children, which he shared with his first two wives, Patricia Beech and Sandra Grant. In 2007, he married Susan Benedetto (née Crow); the couple did not have any children together.
Bennett married his first wife, Patricia, in 1952, and in 1954 they welcomed first son D'Andrea "Danny" Bennett, 69, and later son Daegal "Dae" Bennett, 68, in 1955. They split in 1965 though their divorce wasn't finalized until 1971.
He married his second wife Sandra, in 1971, after welcoming their first child together, daughter Joanna, 53, in 1969. His second daughter, and fourth child, Antonia, 49, was born in 1974. Bennett and Sandra separated in 1979, but did not formally divorce until 2007.
Nearly two weeks after his father's death, Bennett's eldest son Danny stopped by the Today Show together with his father's wife Susan, and speaking with Hoda Kotb, they opened up about his late father's last moments.
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"His last words to me (were), 'Thank you,'" he revealed, adding: "Can't say it better than that."
© GettyThough Bennett was an international icon, Danny, as his manager, helped him expand his popularity past his own generation.
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He recalled: "He came into my office one time. And he said, 'I was watching MTV.' He goes, 'I think I can do that.' And then walked out. And I was like, all right."
© GettyDanny continued: "I put him on these shows that were, you know, 60,000 kids at RFK Stadium, between Nine Inch Nails and PJ Harvey… And, you know, it was a little nerve-wracking."
Nerves aside, it undoubtedly paid off, and today one of Bennett's most memorable collaborations is his work (and close friendship) with Lady Gaga, who was nearly 60 years younger than him.
© GettyAddressing the "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" singer's Alzheimer's diagnosis, which came in 2016 but was confirmed in 2021, his wife Susan recalled thinking her husband's career would slow down, but she said: "Tony [was] like, 'I don’t know what you're talking about. You know, I wanna keep singing.'"
To that, his son added: "We'd take him to the doctor and he'd go, 'What am I– why am I here?'" and Susan noted: "We would leave… And Tony [was] like, 'Susan. I'm really okay. We don’t have to come back.'"
© GettySusan also revealed the last song Bennett sang was his first hit "Because of You," which he recorded in 1951.
"The music never left him," she said, as she also shared the last words he told her: "That he loved me... he would wake up every day and still say that… He woke up happy every day."
