Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett collaborated numerous times over the years. In the wake of the legendary crooner’s death, Gaga has taken to social media to comment on the loss. “I will miss my friend forever,” Gaga wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of the pair hugging. “I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together.
Videos by American Songwriter
“With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp,” she continued. “Tony & I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, & gave it all new life as a singing duo. But it wasn’t an act. Our relationship was very real.”
Gaga went on to describe the many life lessons Bennett gave her during their friendship – lessons that extended far beyond the music business.
[RELATED: 5 Deep Cuts From Tony Bennett]
“Sure he taught me about music, about showbiz life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight,” Gaga added. “‘Straight ahead,’ he’d say. He was an optimist, he believed in quality work AND quality life. Plus, there was the gratitude…Tony was always grateful. He served in WWII, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and sang jazz with the greatest singers and players in the world.”
Bennett had been suffering from Alzheimer’s for several years prior to his death. While Gaga continued to make music with Bennett throughout that time, in her post she says she has “been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time – We had a very long and powerful goodbye.”
The pair performed a couple of concerts at Radio City Music Hall last year, which effectively became Bennett’s last big shows. Bennett’s family and Gaga helped him prepare for the show in light of his memory loss. The most touching moment from the night came when Bennett remembered Gaga as she came bounding out onto the stage. The Chromatica singer was visibly surprised by the interaction.
“Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful but it was also really beautiful,” Gaga said, referencing their final shows together. “An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a person’s life. There’s such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity. All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life.
“But, as that faded slowly I knew deep down he was sharing with me the most vulnerable moment in his life that he could–being willing to sing with me when his nature was changing so deeply,” she continued. “I’ll never forget this experience.”
On paper, the collaboration between Gaga and Bennett wouldn’t work. As Gaga commented in her post, they were separated “by five decades.” Nevertheless, their two albums Cheek to Cheek and Love for Sale were runaway successes for both artists. According to Gaga, their surface-level differences only made them a stronger pair.
“It gave us each something neither of us had with most people,” she said. “We were from two different stages in life entirely–inspired.”
Gaga finished her statement with some advice for her fans about respecting their elders and dealing with grief.
“If I could say anything to the world about this I would say don’t discount your elders, don’t leave them behind when things change,” she said. “Don’t flinch when you feel sad, just keep going straight ahead, sadness is part of it. Take care of your elders and I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magical. And pay attention to silence—some of my musical partner and I’s most meaningful exchanges were with no melody at all.”
Read Gaga’s full post below.
(Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
