Tony Bennett has turned 95, and part of the celebrations include the revelation that the iconic singer will be releasing his final recorded album, which is a collaboration with Lady Gaga.
This is the pair's second album of duets. In 2014, they released "Cheek To Cheek," and have been working on "Love for Sale" over the course of two years, while navigating around Bennett's Alzheimer's 2016 diagnosis, which was announced earlier this year.
"The day we released ‘Cheek To Cheek’ in 2014, @itstonybennett called me and asked me if I wanted to record another album with him, this time celebrating the songs of Cole Porter," Gaga tweeted Tuesday. "I’m always honored to sing with my friend Tony, so of course I accepted the invitation."
In a follow-up tweet, Gaga wrote that the new album, "Love For Sale," would be released on Oct. 1.
"You can pre-order the album and listen to our first single ‘I Get A Kick Out Of You’ everywhere now!"
In February, Bennett and his family confirmed the singer had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The music icon's battle with the disease was documented in a lengthy AARP article, which contained interviews with his family members.
Bennett first began to show symptoms two years after his diagnosis, while recording his album with Lady Gaga, according to the magazine.
"He speaks rarely, and when he does his words are halting; at times, he seems lost and bewildered," journalist John Colapinto wrote of their recording sessions. "Gaga, clearly aware of his condition, keeps her utterances short and simple (as is recommended by experts in the disease when talking to Alzheimer's patients)."
Bennett's wife, Susan, admitted there was a lot about her husband she missed since the diagnosis.
"Because he’s not the old Tony anymore. ... But when he sings, he’s the old Tony," she explained.
"It was also his passion and what kept him going," Susan said elsewhere in the article. "Singing is everything to him. Everything. It has saved his life many times."
Bennett has left a legacy in the music industry and his voice has touched and inspired people across the world, including stars like Robert De Niro, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Joel, Keith Richards and Paul McCartney, who all wished him happy birthday on social media.
"God gave you a great, great gift, and you really have put it to good use," Baldwin said in a video message to Bennett.
In addition to birthday celebrations, Bennett and Gaga will be performing Thursday at New York’s Radio City Music Hall in a nearly sold-out show titled "One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga," according to Los Angeles Times. Bennett will also perform several solo shows between September and October.
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Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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