The late Tony Bennett’s wife Susan Benedetto has revealed his last words prior to passing away last month in an interview with Hoda Kotb on TODAY.
According to Benedetto, her husband’s last words were “that he loved me” — a sentiment Bennett continued to express even during his worst struggles with Alzheimer’s disease. “He would wake up every day and still say that,” she added. “He woke up happy every day. Even if he had had a bad day or night, he didn’t remember it. That was the only blessing. He woke up happy. And he’s just like, ‘Susan. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.’ And he would say that to me all the time.”
Benedetto and Bennett’s eldest son, Danny, also revealed that Bennett still remembered how to play his songs right up until his death. In fact, he sang “Because of You” from his 1952 debut album of the same name just days before passing.
“We were getting him up to exercise, and so it was easy to just latch onto the piano,” Benedetto remembered. “And I said, ‘Ton, why don’t you get up and you can sing?’ You know, any excuse to just get him up. I said, ‘Why don’t you sing?’ He’s like, ‘What do you want to hear?’ I said, ‘How about singing “Because of You”?’”
Watch the full interview below.
Benedetto and Bennett began dating in the mid-’80s before tying the knot in 2007. Together, they founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, a public high school in Queens, New York dedicated to teaching the performing arts, in 2007.
Bennett died on July 21st at the age of 96 following a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s. His friend and close collaborator Lady Gaga shared a lengthy tribute on Instagram following his passing, in which she wrote about missing her friend “forever.” The pop singer and actor added, “With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. 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.”
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