Tony Bennett’s eldest son, Danny Bennett, is reflecting on his final moments with his father.
“His last words to me [were], ‘Thank you,’” Danny, 69, told Hoda Kotb during a Thursday, August 3, interview for the Today show. “Can’t say it better than that.”
News broke late last month that Tony had died at the age of 96. “Tony left us today, but he was still singing the other day at his piano and his last song was, ‘Because of You,’ his first #1 hit,” the jazz singer’s team wrote via social media in July, confirming his passing. “Tony, because of you we have your songs in our heart forever.”
Tony is survived by wife Susan Benedetto and his four children, whom he shared with exes Patricia Beech and Sandra Grant, respectively. (Tony and Beech coparented sons Danny and Dae, while he shared daughters Antonia and Joanna with Grant.)
Danny, for his part, noted on Thursday that his beloved father was a “man of the people,” and that he was grateful to witness that firsthand growing up. “[We] never took that for granted. It was an amazing journey,” Danny added.
Benedetto, who married Tony in 2007 after decades together, also opened up to Kotb, 58, about her final memories with her late husband.
“The music never left him,” she said on Thursday, noting the final song he performed was his very first hit, “Because of You,” ahead of his death. “[His last words to me were] that he loved me … he would wake up every day and still say that. He woke up happy every day.”
Danny — who served as Tony’s manager prior to his death — further reflected on watching his dad’s career over the years.
“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,’” he quipped during the Today interview. “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.”
Danny added: “He turned to me and he said, ‘Can I ask you a question?’ And he goes, ‘You think Frank [Sinatra] would do this?’ And I said, ‘No.’”
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Tony’s reinvigorated career even led to an unlikely on-stage partnership with Lady Gaga, who mourned the legacy of her “real true friend” earlier this week.
“I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together,” the pop star, 37, wrote via Instagram on Monday, July 31. “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.”
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