Tony Bennett’s Widow Reveals Special Meaning Behind Last Song He Sang
By Movieguide® Contributor
Tony Bennet’s widow Susan Benedetto recently shared how his music continued to be part of the crooner’s life despite his Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
Benedetto explained that Bennet remembered all his songs and their meanings.
“He could do that,” she told TODAY’s Hoda Kotb in an interview.
Benedetto married Bennett in 2007 after meeting at one of his concerts in 1985. She recalled that he sang one of his earliest hits just before his death.
“He sang ‘Because of You.’ We were getting him up to exercise, and so it was easy to just latch onto the piano,” she said.
“And I said, ‘Ton, why don’t you get up, and you can sing?’ You know, any excuse to just get him up. I said, ‘Why don’t you sing?’ He’s like, ‘What do you want to hear?’ I said, ‘How about singing “Because of You”?’ So he sang ‘Because of You,’” she continued.
“Literally, that was the last song he sang,” she added.
Benedetto explained that this song bookended the twenty-time Grammy winner’s musical career.
“That was his first hit. And then that was literally just the last song that he sang. So, the music never left him,” she expressed.
“And when he did have more alert moments, or, like, first thing in the morning, he didn’t ask really about anyone or anything except, ‘Am I working tonight?’ And the other day he’s like, ‘Susan, am I in a good theater tonight?’ He’d say stuff like that,” she recalled.
Benedetto added that she and Bennett watched YouTube videos with a health aide so he could learn about himself.
She remembered, “Tony was alert enough that he’s like watching. And he said, ‘Was I always popular?’ And I said, ‘Yes, sweetheart.’ I said, ‘You’ve been popular for over 70 years.’ And he said, ‘That’s because I stayed with quality.’”
Benedetto also shared Bennett’s final words to her before his death.
“That he loved me,” she said. “Yeah. He would wake up every day and still say that. He woke up happy every day. Even if he had had a bad day or night, he didn’t remember it. That was the only blessing. He woke up happy. And he’s just like, ‘Susan. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.’ And he would say that to me all the time.”
Despite his many Grammys, the legendary crooner didn’t want to be remembered for his successful career.
“He didn’t want to be remembered as the best. He just really wanted to be remembered as a nice person,” she said.
“And I think all of the outpouring of love from people that we know and love and complete strangers has proven that. People feel like they’ve lost a family friend, even if they never met him. And, you know, when he sang, he truly believed what he was singing,” she added.
Benedetto revealed what losing Bennett means to her.
“Well, I mean, the obvious thing is to say everything,” she said. “I lost my North Star. But no reason to feel bad for me, though, because my life has been wonderful. And I’ll find a way to make sure it stays that way. It’ll just be different forever.”
Movieguide® recently reported:
On Friday, July 21, legendary vocalist Tony Bennett died, just two weeks short of his 97th birthday, after battling Alzheimer’s disease. He was 96.
In a statement posted on his Twitter account, it was revealed that Tony was singing at his piano until his last days, with his final song being “Because of You,” the very same song that marked his first #1 hit.
“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 post read. “Tony, because of you we have your songs in our heart forever. ❤”
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