Tony bennett's wife's message to fans after 96-year-old singer's death

Tony Bennett's wife Susan Benedetto and his son from his first marriage Danny Bennett have issued a message to the 96-year-old singer's fans. Bennett died just two weeks before his

97th birthday following a six-year long battle with Alzheimer's. Publicist Sylvia Weiner said the musician died in his hometown of New York. Born in Long Island City, Queens, in 1926,

Bennett carved out a long successful music career that saw him collaborating with a host of stars from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga. Writing on Bennett's Instagram, his family said:

"Thank you to all the fans, friends and colleagues of Tony’s who celebrated his life and humanity and shared their love of him and his musical legacy.   "From his first

performances as a singing waiter in Queens to his last performances in 2021 at Radio City Music Hall, Tony delighted in performing the songs he loved and making people happy. And as sad as

today has been for all of us we can find joy in Tony’s legacy forever." Susan, 56, had previously said the star was unaware how much his memory had declined. In an unearthed 2021

interview she told 60 Minutes presenter Anderson Cooper that Tony had no idea he had Alzheimer's. At the time however, she said he was still able to identify his own children. She said:

"He recognizes me, thank goodness [and] his children - you know, we are blessed in a lot of ways. He's very sweet. He doesn't know he has it." Tony enjoyed a glittering

career, winning a string of accolades including 20 Grammys and a lifetime achievement award. The definition of longevity, he released his first album in 1952 and was still managing live

performances almost seven decades later. He received his final Grammy at the age of 95 - a joint one along with co-star Lady Gaga. In the USA, he has been recognised multiple times as the

oldest living artist ever to hit the top of the Billboard 200 album chart - and by the time of his death, he had an impressive 70 albums to his name.