Tony Bennett dead at 96: iconic jazz singer’s biggest collaborations - including Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse

The world of music is in mourning after the sad news of the death of American jazz singer Tony Bennett was announced on Friday. 

His death was announced by his publicist Sylvia Weiner, who confirmed that he passed away at the age of 96 in his hometown of New York City.

Bennett was a beloved jazz and American songbook performer who had a stellar career spanning more than seven decades, with the singer selling more than 50 million albums worldwide. Throughout his career he also collaborated with some of the biggest stars of the time, stretching from Frank Sinatra to current day performances with Lady Gaga. 

Here are some of his most notable duets from his time in the industry.

Frank Sinatra

Bennett and Sinatra’s careers paralleled each other for many years. With both becoming icons of the songbook genre, it was inevitable that the pair would soon collaborate. 

It wasn’t until 1993 - five years before Sinatra’s death - that the singers would come together for a duet version of Sinatra’s legendary song ‘New York, New York’. The duet featured on the 1993 Sinatra album ‘Duets’.

While the albums compiled electronic vocals from Sinatra with various artists, meaning that Sinatra wasn’t actually singing in person with Bennett, it still marks one of the only times the two contemporaries were heard together on record. 

The pair had admired each other for many years, with Sinatra saying of Bennett in 1965: "For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business. He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He's the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more."

Aretha Franklin

The Queen of Soul sang with Bennett on his 2011 album ‘Duets II’ for the song ‘How Do You Keep The Music Playing’. 

The song was originally written and performed by James Ingram and Patti Austin for the 1982 film ‘Best Friends’. However, Bennett would go on to perform and record the song multiple times throughout his career, the first time being in 1986 after Sinatra encouraged his friend to perform a version. 

Before teaming up with Franklin for the newest recording, he had also performed the song with George Michael for his 2006 record ‘Duets: An American Classic’. 

Amy Winehouse

The late Amy Winehouse also appeared on the 2011 album ‘Duets II’, with the duet becoming a breakout hit for Bennett who was in his sixth decade in the business.

‘Body and Soul’, recorded in March 2011, was the final recording made by Winehouse before her untimely death exactly four months later at the age of 27. This significance placed new emphasis on the song and was released as a single on 14 September, 2011, on what would have been her 28th birthday. 

Speaking of the now iconic collaboration, Bennett said: “She was very nervous to perform, but I said, ‘You know, it sounds like you’re influenced by Dinah Washington.’ And all of the sudden, her whole life changed. 

“She said, ‘How did you know that Dinah Washington is my goddess?’ She did some Dinah Washington licks, and from that moment on, she just relaxed. And it came out wonderful. She was like, ‘Tony understands me, you know?’”

Lady Gaga

Bennett re-introduced himself to mainstream success again in the late 2010s after collaborating with Lady Gaga, one of the biggest stars of the time. 

They first collaborated on the ‘Duets II’ album in 2011, teaming up for a version of ‘The Lady Is A Tramp’. Following the success of this, the pair would go on to record two full jazz albums together and form a blossoming friendship. 

In 2014, Bennett and Gaga released ‘Cheek to Cheek’ to widespread acclaim. The album featured jazz standards by legendary performers including Irving Berlin and Cole Porter, with both Bennett and Gaga bonding over their shared desire to introduce the songs to a younger generation. 

The album became Bennett’s only second number-one album in his career, while also stretching his record as the oldest artists to achieve the top chart spot. ‘Cheek to Cheek’ went on to win the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album at the 2015 ceremony.

Bennett and Gaga’s second duet album, ‘Love for Sale’, was released in September 2021, making it the final studio album of his career. The album was a tribute to Cole Porter, with the pair performing some of his biggest songs, including ‘I Get A Kick Out Of You. 

The album also helped Bennett to break a Guinness World Record, as he became the oldest person to release an album of new material at the age of 95 years and 60 days. Bennett and Gaga would go on to perform the album and other duets during a series of shows at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City in August 2021 in what would be his final public performance.