Lady Gaga posted a long and emotional tribute to Tony Bennett—who died July 21 at the age of 96—on Instagram Sunday night.
“I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together,” Gaga’s post, which features a photo of the pair embracing (presumably on the day of their portrait session that would become the cover of 2021’s Love For Sale) begins.
“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. But it wasn’t an act. Our relationship was very real,” she continued.
Bennett and Gaga collaborated on two albums in recent years: 2014’s Cheek To Cheek, a collection of jazz standards such as the titular track by Irving Berlin, and 2021’s Love For Sale, a Cole Porter tribute record. Both albums took home the award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at their respective Grammys. The duo also performed live as much as Bennett’s health would allow, including 2021’s “One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga,” the event that televised Bennett’s final public performances which were held at Radio City Music Hall.
“I’ve been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time. We had a very long and powerful goodbye,” she continued. “Though there were 5 decades between us, he was my friend. My real true friend. Our age difference didn’t matter—in fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people.”
“Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful but it was also really beautiful,” she wrote. Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. “An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a persons life. There’s such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity,” Gaga continued. “All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life. But, as that faded slowly I knew deep down he was sharing with me the most vulnerable moment in his life that he could—being willing to sing with me when his nature was changing so deeply.”
“Take care of your elders and I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magical, she concluded. “And pay attention to silence—some of my musical partner and I’s most meaningful exchanges were with no melody at all.”
You can read Lady Gaga’s full messge below:
I will miss my friend forever. 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. But it wasnt an act. Our relationship was very real. Sure he taught me about music, about showbiz life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight. “Straight ahead,” he’d say. He was an optimist, he believed in quality work AND quality life. Plus, there was the gratitude…Tony was always grateful. He served in WWII, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and sang jazz with the greatest singers and players in the world.
I’ve been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time. We had a very long and powerful goodbye. Though there were 5 decades between us, he was my friend. My real true friend. Our age difference didn’t matter— in fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people. We were from two different stages in life entirely—inspired. Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful but it was also really beautiful. An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a persons life. There’s such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity. All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life. But, as that faded slowly I knew deep down he was sharing with me the most vulnerable moment in his life that he could—being willing to sing with me when his nature was changing so deeply. I’ll never forget this experience. I’ll never forget Tony Bennett. If I could say anything to the world about this I would say don’t discount your elders, don’t leave them behind when things change. Don’t flinch when you feel sad, just keep going straight ahead, sadness is part of it. Take care of your elders and I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magical. And pay attention to silence—some of my musical partner and I’s most meaningful exchanges were with no melody at all.
I love you Tony. Love, Lady
