Singing legend Tony Bennett left his wife, Susan Benedetto, devastated following his death at his New York City home on July 21 at the age of 96
Tony Bennett's last words to his wife, Susan Benedetto, have been revealed while his devastated friend Lady Gaga paid a touching birthday tribute to the late icon.
The 96 year old's passing was confirmed by his publicist Sylvia Weiner, who revealed he had passed away in his hometown of New York on July 21, seven years after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.
And Susan has now spoken of her husband's decorated life and revealed his final words to her in her most emotional admission.
When asked what he had last said to her, she revealed that he had told her "he loved me".
"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," Susan said of Tony, who she wed in 2007.
In her interview with TODAY's Hoda Kotb, she also revealed that the last song he sang for her was Because of You, and it was especially special for her because it was the song on Tony's 1952 debut album that helped catapult him to fame.
"Well, of course, it bookends his career if you think just musically speaking," she said. "That was his first hit. And then that was literally just the last song that he sang. So the music never left him."
Meanwhile, while Tony's passing has left many people heartbroken, Lady Gaga, who collaborated with Grammy winner on several shows, was particularly saddened by the news.
She took to her Instagram platform on Thursday to wish Tony a happy birthday on what would have been his 98th birthday.
"Happy Birthday Tony. August 3rd is Tony Bennett Day. A day for smiling. But I'll be celebrating you a lot more than once a year," she said alongside a snap of standing outside a New York street food vendor in a chic black ensemble.
She added: "I'll celebrate you every time I'm on stage singing jazz music, every time I'm with your family, every time I walk down the streets of New York I'll look around and remember all you did for this city and the whole world."
This comes after the tribute she shared when news of Tony's passing was revealed.
Sharing a heart-warming snap of the two of them hugging, Lady Gaga wrote: "I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together.
"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.
"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. He was an optimist, he believed in quality work AND quality life. Plus, there was the gratitude…Tony was always grateful. He served in WWII, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and sang jazz with the greatest singers and players in the world."
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