Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga‘s special friendship spanned many years.
After a chance meeting at a New York City gala in 2011, the pair had their first musical collaboration singing “The Lady Is a Tramp” on Bennett’s Duets II album. Bennett and Gaga went on to release their first joint album Cheek to Cheek in 2014 — which kicked off a world tour and scored them a Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album.
At the time, Bennett gushed over Gaga’s talent, telling Parade in 2014, “It was the first time I heard Lady perform, and I could not believe the audience’s reaction. The first thing I said was, ‘Let’s do an album together.’ And she said, ‘OK.’ That quick. I just love what she did on [our album Cheek to Cheek]. She’s up there with Ella Fitzgerald, who was the greatest singer in the world.”
Gaga, for her part, praised Bennett for how he changed her outlook on life.
“Six months ago I didn’t even want to sing anymore,” she admitted to the outlet at the time. “The other day, Tony said, ‘I’ve never once in my career not wanted to do this.’ It stung. Six months ago I didn’t feel that way. I tell Tony every day that he saved my life. I was so sad. I couldn’t sleep. I felt dead. And then I spent a lot of time with Tony. He wanted nothing but my friendship and my voice.”
In July 2023, news broke that Bennett died in New York at age 96. His final concert took place two years prior with Gaga by his side.
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Scroll down to relive Bennett and Gaga’s sweet friendship moments: