American singer, Anthony Dominick Benedetto, known professionally as Tony Bennett, has died at age 96.
According to The Associated Press, Tony died on Friday, July 21, in New York but the cause of the death was not stated, Miami Herald reported on Friday.
Tony was among America’s last crooners in a career that spanned seven decades.
He has amassed many accolades throughout his career, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Born in Queens, New York, in 1926, Tony developed a love for music while attending high school in Manhattan, drawing inspiration from Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and James Durante.
He was among those that were enlisted with the United States Army at the tail end of World War II and described his three months fighting along the front lines in France and Germany as a “front-row seat in hell”.
In 1950, Tony got his break in his music career after returning to New York where he changed his stage name from Joe Bari to Tony Bennett.
