On Thursday, Sylvia Weiner, Tony Bennett‘s publicist, unfortunately, announced his passing. He was 96 years old at the time of his death.
Although the reason for his death has not been made public, it is known that the iconic singer battled numerous terrible issues, including drug addiction and Alzheimer’s.
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Tony Bennett’s health struggles:
Bennett claimed in his 2016 biography, “Just Getting Started,” that he began to experience depression after getting divorced from his first wife, Patricia Beech. In addition, he acknowledged in his memoir that he was coping with a variety of stressors in the late 1970s, including issues with his work and excessive spending
In his 1998 autobiography, “The Good Life,” Bennett said that after moving to Hollywood with his family in the 1970s, he fell victim to drug addiction. “On top of everything else, the seventies drug scene was getting out of control,” he wrote. “At first, it seemed like the hip thing to do, but as time went on it got harder and harder to refuse it when it was offered. Compounded with my pot-smoking, the whole thing started to sneak up on me.” Bill Evans’ tragic overdose subsequently made him reflect on his own drug use.
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The singer’s family revealed that he had received an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis five years earlier in 2021. In the spring of 2021, the Bennett family informed the AARP Magazine about his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. They reported at the time that he could still recognize his family members but had trouble understanding what was going on around him.
There were no worries that Tony would wander off from their home or that he was having trouble controlling his fury or any other emotions that may come with the illness, according to Susan Benedetto, Tony’s wife.
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“I have my moments and it gets very difficult,” Susan said. “It’s no fun arguing with someone who doesn’t understand you. But I feel badly talking about it because we are so much more fortunate than so many people with this diagnosis. We have such a good team.”
The beloved singer is now survived by his wife, Susan Benedetto, his two sons, Danny and Dae Bennett, his daughters Johanna Bennett and Antonia Bennett, and 9 grandchildren.