How Lady Gaga Plans to Keep Tony Bennett's Legacy Alive
Lady Gaga is making sure to honor the life of her good friend and music icon, Tony Bennett, who passed away at the age of 96 on July 21, following a years-long battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Gaga—who notably had a very special relationship with the late jazz and pop singer—is doing her best to keep Bennett's legacy alive, and what better way to do so than with her music.
The "Million Reasons" songstress resumed her Lady Gaga: Jazz & Piano Las Vegas residency this week, marking her first time back since Bennett's death.
In footage of the performance shared online, the 37-year-old entertainer could be heard telling the audience that the "whole show" was for Bennett.
She also gave a special shoutout to to Bennett's wife, Susan Benedetto, who was reportedly in the crowd for the show on Thursday, Aug. 31, telling her, "Everybody in this audience loves you so much."
"The truth is I didn’t know exactly what to say about Tony because the truth is, this whole show was for Tony, everything," she continued in the video, which was shared to X (formerly Twitter) after the show. "The opening number, the middle numbers, all the diamonds, all the musical instruments, all the conducting, all the improvisation was in his memory."
Lady Gaga pays tribute to the late Tony Bennett and sings his signature song “Fly Me To The Moon”:
“I’m gonna get through it, I promise” ?? pic.twitter.com/pI7YPZHX9H— Gaga Daily (@gagadaily) September 1, 2023
Gaga then went on to dedicate her performance of "Fly Me to the Moon" to Bennett, who she believes would want her to continue with joy despite his passing.
"If I know Tony well, I know he would be real mad at me for being sad, so I couldn’t come out here and be sad," she told the crowd. 'I sung this song while Tony was still alive, and I’m going to sing it now even though he’s gone, because he’ll never be gone."
That's when she addressed Benedetto again, telling the widow, "Susan, this is for you, and I'm going to get through it, I promise."
"I'll never do it as well as Tony, but I'll try," she insisted, before breaking out into the song that the dynamic duo used to sing together.
"Tony will live on thru our Queen Gaga everyday," one fan wrote in response to the clip. "I know Tony is proud of our lady and how far she's come thanks to jazz."
"I'm sure Tony Bennett is smiling in heaven tonight after watching his Sophisticated Lady back on stage again, singing the music they used to share," someone else wrote, adding, "Thanks for keeping his legacy and Jazz music alive through your art, @ladygaga."
Next: Watch Tony Bennett's Final Public Performance With Lady Gaga