Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
Watch Tony Bennett Duet "Steppin' Out with My Baby" with Christina Aguilera
Bennett — one of the most prolific and iconic singers of the 20th and 21st centuries — passed away on July 21. He was 96.
Tony Bennett, a music icon with a career spanning eight decades, passed away on July 21, his publicist (Sylvia Weiner) has confirmed. He was 96.
With 19 Grammy Awards — including a Lifetime Achievement Award — plus two Emmy Awards and 61 studio albums, Bennett is the definition of a legend. Perhaps best known for singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," Bennett's name has become synonymous with swing, big band, and jazz music. Even Frank Sinatra was impressed by Bennett, dubbing him "the best singer in the business" back in 1965.
Bennett was a performer through and through. He released his first album, Because of You, in 1952 at the age of 26. And he kept releasing music until 2021, his last album being Love for Sale with Lady Gaga. (Gaga and Bennett had a years-long collaborative relationship; his last-ever performance was actually with Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in 2021.)
RELATED: Niall Horan's Powerful Cover of Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" Shows His Range
Bennett is survived by his wife, Susan Benedetto, his two sons, Danny and Dae Bennett, his daughters, Johanna Bennett and Antonia Bennett, and nine grandchildren. His impact lives on through his music, as well — including the many decades of live performances fans are lucky to have footage of.
One such performance happened in 2006 with The Voice alum Christina Aguilera during the NBC special Tony Bennett: An American Classic. The two Artists performed "Steppin' Out with My Baby," a song written by Irving Berlin and made popular by Fred Astaire in the 1948 movie Easter Parade. Bennett recorded the song for his 1993 album Steppin' Out, which was a tribute LP to Astaire.
Tony Bennett sings "Steppin' Out with My Baby" with Christina Aguilera
Watch Tony Bennett and Christina Aguilera's performance here.
Bennett and Aguilera also performed "Steppin' Out with My Baby" at the 2007 Emmy Awards, and the duet was featured on Bennett's 2012 album, Viva Duets.
RELATED: Watching 12-Year-Old Christina Aguilera Sing Whitney Houston Is Jaw-Dropping
“Back in the ‘60s, I was told I had to change my music for the kids to accept me. Yet through the years, every age responds to my singing, even though I haven’t changed a thing,” Bennett wrote in his 2012 memoir, Life Is a Gift: The Zen of Bennett. And that sentiment is spot-on. Tony Bennett's music bridged generations — and it will continue to for years to come.
