Tony Bennett made album with Lady Gaga amid Alzheimer's fight
- by Leland Aguilar
- in Entertaiment
- — Feb 2, 2021
Famous American singer Tony Bennett has anounced that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, breaking the news via his official Twitter account. According to AARP, the new material was recorded "in widely spaced sessions" between 2018 and early a year ago and Gaga was aware of his disease while they were recording.
Bennett has won 19 Grammys, the most recent of which came in 2018 when he was 91 years of age.
They added that Bennett's neurologist "strongly encouraged" the singer to continue to sing and perform, as it both keeps him "on his toes" and stimulate his brain in 'a significant way'. She accredited this forgetfulness to normal aging, but Bennett wanted to see a doctor. Devi said Bennett's support system, especially his wife, who is his primary caregiver, is helping with that.
He continued recording and touring constantly, and his 2014 collaboration with Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.
Benedetto also gave an interview to CBS This Morningon Monday, saying that Bennett is still able to rehearse twice a week at home, singing for an hour or so at a time.
"Life is a gift - even with Alzheimer's", he wrote.
It was also his passion and what kept him going, Susan said.
The Alzheimer's Association defines Alzheimer's disease as "a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking and behavior".
Dr. Gayatri Devi, who diagnosed the star, told the magazine: 'He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia can not do, He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder'.
Bennett has collaborated with artists including Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse.
"When we were there, I sang a jazz song, 'Orange Colored Sky, '" Gaga told People, and she clearly impressed the older performer.
However, Devi stressed that Bennett was still "doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia can not do".
