Lady Gaga pays tribute to late friend Tony Bennett: ‘We had a very long and powerful goodbye’
Lady Gaga will always have a special place in her heart for her friend Tony Bennett.
The “Rags to Riches” and “Fly Me to the Moon” singer died July 21 at the age of 96, his publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed.
While no cause of death was immediately available, Bennett had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease since 2016.
The “Born This Way” crooner, 37, penned a lengthy and heart-wrenching post on Instagram Monday where she remembered her pal and confidante.
“I will miss my friend forever,” she scribed alongside a photo of the two sharing a hug.
“I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together,” she wrote.
“With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony & I had this magical power,” the “Poker Face” pop star continued. “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.”
Gaga added: “He was an optimist, he believed in quality work AND quality life. Plus, there was the gratitude…Tony was always grateful.”
“I’ve been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time. We had a very long and powerful goodbye,” she typed. “Though there were 5 decades between us, he was my friend. My real true friend.”
She reflected: “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.”
“I’ll never forget this experience. I’ll never forget Tony Bennett,” the songstress wrote. “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,” she concluded. “I love you Tony. Love, Lady.”
Gaga and Bennett have collaborated several times and formed a strong friendship over the years.
The two shared much in common, with both coming from Italian-American backgrounds and having roots steeped in New York.
The pair released two studio albums together, 2014’s “Cheek to Cheek” and 2021’s “Love for Sale.”
They even co-headlined a “Cheek to Cheek” tour in 2014 and 2015.
The “A Star Is Born” actress and the “Because of You” singer first met at the 2011 Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City.
They got into the studio and recorded a version of the hit “The Lady Is a Tramp” together, and it was released on Bennett’s 2011 album “Duets II.”
After Bennett decided to retire from singing live in 2021 due to his illness, he performed with Gaga one last time at Radio City Music Hall on Aug. 5 of that year.
They sang a rendition of their tune “I Get a Kick Out of You” for the audience.
Bennett and Gaga also graced the “MTV Unplugged” stage in July 2021, where they duetted songs from their albums.
The “Hold My Hand” songstress even once credited Bennett for helping her through tough times.
“Six months ago I didn’t even want to sing anymore,” Gaga told Parade Magazine in 2014 during an interview promoting “Cheek to Cheek.”
“Do you know what Duke Ellington said? He said, ‘Number one: Don’t quit. Number two: Listen to number one,’ ” Bennett joked.
“Right! The other day, Tony said, ‘I’ve never once in my career not wanted to do this.’ It stung,” Gaga responded. “Six months ago, I didn’t feel that way. I tell Tony every day that he saved my life.”
The “House of Gucci” star even got acting “input” from the “Body and Soul” musician for that film.
Gaga portrayed Patrizia Reggiani, the woman convicted of hiring a hit man to kill her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci, in the 2021 Ridley Scott drama.
She revealed at the premiere that Bennett warned her not to turn her portrayal of the socialite into an Italian “caricature.”
