What has Lady Gaga said about Tony Bennett? Touching tribute on Instagram for late jazz singer explained

Lady Gaga has paid an emotional tribute to Tony Bennett who died age 96 in his New York home on 21 July, telling fans she “will miss my friend forever”.

The US singer and actress who is known for her performance in A Star Is Born (2018) and for hits including Born This Way and Poker Face, broke her silence following the passing of the late jazz singer in a post on Instagram.

In 2014, the pair released their duet project titled Cheek To Cheek, which saw Bennett break his own record as the oldest living performer with a number one album on the US Billboard 200 chart. The pair would continue to work together up until 2021 when Bennett stepped down from performing after it was revealed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.

What has Lady Gaga said about Tony Bennett?

Lady Gaga paid tribute to Bennett in an emotional post on Instagram alongside a picture of the pair hugging. She told her fans: “I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together.”

She continued: “With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony and I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernised the music together, and gave it all new life as a singing duo. But it wasn’t an act.”

Gaga went on to reflect on their friendship, she explained: “Our relationship was very real. Sure he taught me about music, about showbiz life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight. ‘Straight ahead’, he’d say.”

Adding: “He was an optimist, he believed in quality work and quality life. Plus, there was the gratitude…Tony was always grateful.”

You can read the full tribute from Lady Gaga to Tony Bennett below.

When did Tony Bennett die?

Bennett passed away in his New York home on 21 July at the age of 96. In 2021, the jazz singer stepped down from performing after it was revealed he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease five years earlier.

Gaga touched on his Alzheimer’s diagnosis in her tribute. She said: “Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful but it was also really beautiful. An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a persons life. There’s such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity.”

She added: “All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life.”

How old was Tony Bennett when he performed with Lady Gaga?

Bennett was 88 years old when he first sang with Lady Gaga in 2014. Their duet project Cheek To Cheek reached number one album on the US Billboard 200 chart, seeing him break his own record as the world’s oldest living performer with a number one record.

The pair would continue to duet together until he stepped down from performing, with Gaga featuring on his final album Love For Sale which was released in 2021. Lady Gaga also joined him on stage for his final performance on 5 August 2021 at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

In her tribute on social media, Gaga touches on the age difference between the pair, stating that the “age difference didn’t matter”.

She wrote in her caption: “Though there were five decades between us, he was my friend. My real true friend. 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.”