Tony Bennett’s Beautiful Last Words Revealed
via BTA Music / Youtube
The famous singer, Tony Bennett, who passed away on July 21 at the age of 96, was remembered by his wife, Susan Benedetto some weeks after his passing. Bennett’s devotion to her was his final declaration to her, according to Benedetto.
Benedetto recalled Bennett’s final words as “He loved me.” She mentioned that he would consistently tell her this every day, even if he had experienced a difficult day or night prior. Despite any hardships, he woke up each day with a positive attitude. She continued by saying that Bennett often referred to her as the best thing that ever happened to him.
Bennett’s son Danny also shared his father’s last words, which were a heartfelt “Thank you.” According to Danny Bennett, these words encapsulated his father’s sentiments perfectly.
Although Bennett had been dealing with Alzheimer’s since 2016, and his memory had been declining, Benedetto noted that he still remembered his songs. He was even playing and singing his very first No. 1 hit, “Because of You,” on the piano shortly before he passed away.
Benedetto recounted a moment when they were encouraging him to exercise, and she suggested he sing at the piano. She asked him to sing “Because of You,” and he happily obliged. This turned out to be the last song he sang.
The First Hit and Final Song
After Bennett’s passing, his final rendition of the song was shared on his official social media accounts. The caption explained that he had been singing “Because of You” at his piano shortly before his death. The caption also included a black and white photo of Bennett with an old microphone from Columbia Records, stating:
“Tony, because of you, we have your songs in our heart forever.”
The song “Because of You,” written by Arthur Hammerstein and Dudley Wilkinson in 1940, became Bennett’s first No. 1 hit in 1951 and was later featured as the title track of his 1952 album. This song remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 10 weeks.
Benedetto saw special significance in the fact that his first major hit was also the last song he sang. She explained that this created a sort of musical balance in his life’s journey.
