Lady Gaga has spoken publicly for the first time following the death of her “true friend” Tony Bennett.
The American crooner died on Friday 21 July, aged 96, in his hometown of New York. In 2016, Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, a fact his family shared in 2021.
Throughout his lengthy career, Bennett released more than 70 albums and collaborated with the biggest singers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney and Celine Dion.
One of his most unexpected, yet fruitful, collaborations came with Lady Gaga.
Bennett and the “Born This Way” singer, 37, released two studio albums together: 2014’s Cheek to Cheek and 2021’s Love For Sale. In doing so, Bennett was introduced him to a new generation of fans.
On Sunday (30 July) night, Gaga paid tribute to Bennett with a photo of the pair embracing.
“I will miss my friend forever,” she wrote. “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 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 wasnt an act. Our relationship was very real.”
She continued: “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.”
Gaga then explained that, due to the nature of Bennett’s illness, “I’ve been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time”.
“We had a very long and powerful goodbye,” she said. “ 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.
“Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful but it was also really beautiful… All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life.
“I’ll never forget this experience. I’ll never forget Tony Bennett… 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.”
Signing off her post, Gaga wrote: “I love you Tony. Love, Lady.”
Bennett and Gaga in 2015— (Getty Images)
The comment section of the singer’s post was flooded with support, with RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage writing of the pair’s relationship: “None of us, not even for a moment, thought it was an act.”
“Beautiful tribute and friendship. I’m so sorry for your loss and so thrilled that you and the rest of the world got to experience your partnership in this lifetime,” commented singer Debbie Gibson.
“It’s obvious how much you inspired each other. Much love,” one fan wrote.
In 2021, Gaga grew emotional as she discussed the moment Bennett said her name for the first time in “a long time” on stage following his diagnosis.
The pair had been performing at Radio City Music Hall in New York on Bennett’s 95th birthday, during which he introduced Gaga mid-show by saying: “Woah, Lady Gaga!”
Gaga twirled in her dress, with Bennett adding: “I like that, do it again.”
“That’s the first time that Tony said my name in a long time,” Gaga told Anderson Cooper.
“I had to keep it together, because we had a sold-out show and I have a job to do. But I’ll tell you, when I walked out on that stage and he said, ‘It’s Lady Gaga,’ my friend saw me. And it was very special.”
