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(CNN)Tony Bennett won implicit generations of fans crooning "I Left My Heart successful San Francisco." And connected his 95th birthday, the beloved vocalist near his bosom connected the signifier of Radio City Music Hall.
Six months aft Bennett and his household revealed helium is suffering from Alzheimer's, Bennett sang alongside Lady Gaga earlier sold-out crowds successful a two-concert bid successful aboriginal August billed arsenic his last New York performances.
Now the remainder of the satellite has a accidental to instrumentality successful the moving August 3 amusement successful a TV special, "One Last Time: An Evening With Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga," which aired Sunday connected CBS.
In summation to his signature song, Bennett performed standards similar "Fly Me to the Moon" and "Steppin' Out With My Baby" and duets with Lady Gaga including "Love For Sale" and "Anything Goes."
Belting retired "New York, New York" earlier Bennett took the stage, Lady Gaga teared up erstwhile she paused to speech astir him.
"He's my friend. He's my philharmonic companion. And he's the top vocalist successful the full world. And I'm counting connected you, New York, to marque him smile. So you amended cheer. You amended yell. You amended laugh. You amended cry. You amended springiness your soul."
The Radio City Music Hall assemblage held up its extremity of the bargain. Bennett got his archetypal lasting ovation earlier adjacent singing a enactment -- and racked up astatine slightest a twelve much passim the night.
In "Fly Me to the Moon," erstwhile helium crooned the line, "Let maine sing everlastingly more," the assemblage erupted successful cheers. At 1 constituent the camera panned to an assemblage subordinate shouting, "We emotion you!"
Bennett, whose singing vocation spans 8 decades, is nary alien to performing for throngs of adoring fans. Still, earlier the concert, household members told "60 Minutes" they weren't definite what would hap during the show.
But woman Susan Benedetto said that erstwhile she saw him onstage that night, his eyes twinkling and arms outstretched toward the crowd, she knew everything would beryllium alright.
"He became himself. He conscionable turned on. It was similar a airy switch," she told "60 Minutes" successful a conception that aired past month.
That's due to the fact that euphony and performing are truthful ingrained successful the singer, according to Bennett's neurologist, Dr. Gayatri Devi.
"People respond otherwise based connected their strengths. In Tony's case, it's his philharmonic representation his quality to beryllium a performer. Those are an innate and hardwired portion of his brain," Devi said connected "60 Minutes." "So adjacent though helium doesn't cognize what the time mightiness be, oregon wherever his flat is, helium inactive tin sing the full repertoire of the American Songbook and determination people."
Bennett released his archetypal medium with Lady Gaga successful 2014. Their latest collaboration, a Cole Porter tribute medium titled "Love For Sale," was released successful October. Last week it garnered six Grammy nominations.
After the nominations, Lady Gaga told BBC Radio 2's "The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show" that it's been heartbreaking to ticker what Bennett is going through. She told "60 Minutes" that Bennett had been calling her "Sweetheart" each clip she'd seen him since the pandemic began, and she wasn't definite helium knew who she was.
But erstwhile she came onstage to articulation him during the Radio City Music Hall concert, Bennett appeared to person nary doubt. "Wow," helium said arsenic she twirled astir successful a shimmering golden gown. "Lady Gaga!"
A look of joyousness flashed crossed Lady Gaga's face. She bent over, her caput successful her hands, earlier doing different twirl.
"I had to support it together, due to the fact that we had a sold-out amusement and I had a occupation to do," Lady Gaga told "60 Minutes." "But I'll archer you, erstwhile I walked retired connected that stage, and helium said, 'Lady Gaga,' my person saw me, and it was precise special."
After the palmy Radio City Music Hall shows, Bennett canceled aboriginal circuit appearances. His lad and manager Danny Bennett told Variety those New York concerts would beryllium his last.
"This was a hard determination for america to make, arsenic helium is simply a susceptible performer. This is, however, doctors' orders," Danny Bennett said. "It's not the singing facet but, rather, the traveling. Look, helium gets tired. The determination is being made that doing concerts present is conscionable excessively overmuch for him."
Lady Gaga told "60 Minutes" she heard a almighty connection successful Bennett's past Radio City Music Hall performances.
"It's not a bittersweet story. It's emotional. It's hard to ticker idiosyncratic change. I deliberation what's been beauteous astir this, and what's been challenging, is to spot however it affects him successful immoderate ways, but to spot however it doesn't impact his talent," she said. "I deliberation helium truly pushed done thing to springiness the satellite the acquisition of knowing that things tin change, and you tin inactive beryllium magnificent."
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