Legendary jazz crooner Tony Bennett dead at 96

• Tony Bennett has reportedly died at the age of 96.
• The legendary jazz singer won 19 Grammys throughout his career, including a lifetime achievement award.

Tony Bennett, the legendary jazz singer-songwriter, has died, according to reports by the Associated Press and the New York Times.

He was 96.

Bennett, whose full name was Anthony Dominick Benedetto, was born in Queens, New York, on August 3, 1926. He studied music and painting at the New York High School of Industrial Arts, but dropped out when he was 16 years old to help support his family with a job as a waiter.

Before beginning his career in the music industry, he served in the US Army during World War II from 1944 to 1946.

In his 1994 autobiography, "The Good Life: The Autobiography of Tony Bennett," he was candid about his war experiences overseas, which made him a pacifist for the rest of his life.

"Anybody who thinks that war is romantic obviously hasn't gone through one," Bennett wrote. "Every war is insane, no matter where it is or what it's about. Fighting is the lowest form of human behavior."

Bennett's time in the US Armed Forces, which were segregated at the time, also opened his eyes to institutionalized racism. He went on to join the Civil Rights Movement and participated in the historic march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.

When asked about marching with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Bennett replied simply, "I thought everybody should."

After he was discharged from the army, Bennett went on to study the bel canto discipline at New York City's American Theatre Wing.

He rose to prominence in Hollywood in the '50s after touring with Bob Hope — who initially told Bennett that he didn't like his stage name at the time (Joe Bari) and shortened his real name to be what we know today.

Bennett signed with Columbia Records shortly after, and got his first hit single in 1951 with "Because of You." He then began to collaborate with many top jazz musicians of the time, including Count Basie, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims, and Art Blakey.

In 1962, he released one of his staple songs, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," which peaked at No. 19 on Billboard's Top 100 chart and earned Bennett his first two Grammy Awards: record of the year and best solo vocal performance.

But the singer went through a lull in his musical career in the late '70s. He left Columbia Records in 1972, and was briefly signed to MGM records, but ended up leaving to start his own record company.

In addition to his career woes during that time, Bennett's personal life was also at its lowest.

In the '70s, he dealt with what he described as the "darkest period of his life" while battling drug addiction and financial troubles, which he revealed in his 2011 autobiography, "All the Things You Are: The Life of Tony."

Bennett also went through two divorces: one in 1971 to his first wife, Patricia Beech, with whom he had two children, and another in 1984 with Sandra Grant, with whom he also had two children.

His career took a turn for the better when his son, Danny Bennett, began to manage him in 1986. He re-signed with Columbia Records and released "The Art of Excellence," which became his first hit album in 14 years.

The musician won many awards throughout his decades-long career, including the Recording Academy's lifetime achievement award in 2001. He's also won two Emmys and was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1997.

Bennett found great success in reaching a younger audience after appearing on MTV's "Unplugged" in 1994, which resulted in the platinum studio album, "MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett."

In a review of the album, the New York Times praised Bennett for his resilience in the entertainment industry.

"Tony Bennett has not just bridged the generation gap; he has demolished it," the review read. "He has solidly connected with a younger crowd weaned on rock. And there have been no compromises."

Bennett continued to expand his collaborations with artists across genres and generations, including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, Juanes, and Lady Gaga.

In 2014, Bennett and Gaga recorded a joint studio album, "Cheek to Cheek," which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

The unlikely pair returned to the studio years later to record a collection of Cole Porter covers, titled "Love for Sale." It was released in 2021 and would be Bennett's final album.

Earlier that year, his team announced his retirement from recording music and singing live. His final performance took place alongside Gaga on August 5, 2021, at Radio City Music Hall.

"This was a hard decision for us to make, as he is a capable performer. This is, however, doctors' orders," Bennett's son and manager, Danny, told Variety. "His continued health is the most important part of this, and when we heard the doctors — when Tony's wife, Susan heard them — she said, 'Absolutely not.'"

"Love for Sale" racked up five nods at the 2022 Grammys, including album of the year. It won best traditional pop vocal album, bringing Bennett's career total up to 19 awards out of 41 nominations. Gaga took a moment to honor Bennett, who was not in attendance, during her solo performance at the ceremony.

Their second joint album was recorded amid Bennett's battle with Alzheimer's. He was diagnosed with the disease in 2016 but his family did not tell the public until he was ready to retire. In fact, according to his wife, Bennett himself didn't know about his diagnosis.

"He recognizes me, thank goodness, his children. We are blessed in a lot of ways," Susan told Anderson Cooper. "He's very sweet. He doesn't know he has it."

Gaga also said it was an "honor" to share the stage for Bennett's last bow, especially because he introduced her by name when she arrived in front of the crowd.

"That's the first time that Tony said my name in a long time," she told "60 Minutes," adding: "Just simply being the woman that got to walk him offstage, that's enough for me."

In addition to his storied music career, Bennett was also a painter.

The United Nations commissioned him for two paintings, and three of his paintings are part of the Smithsonian Museum's permanent exhibit. In 2017, 40 of his paintings were displayed in the exhibit, "Tony Bennett: Celebrating 90 Years of Artistry," at New York City's Paley Center for Media.

"I've always done the two things that I love to do, which is sing and paint, and it's wonderful being honored about it," he told Reuters in an interview at the exhibit.

Bennett and his wife, former public school teacher Susan Benedetto Bennett, whom he had a long-term relationship with since the '80s before marrying in 2007, founded Exploring the Arts. The charitable organization is dedicated to strengthening the arts in public high school education.

They also founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in 2001, which Bennett named after his friend, Frank Sinatra. The school is located in his hometown of Astoria, a neighborhood in Queens, New York.

Bennett is survived by his wife Susan and his four children, Dae Bennett, Danny Bennett, Antonia Bennett, and Joanna Bennett.

Angélica Acevedo contributed to reporting.