Tony Bennett, legendary crooner, dies aged 96 in New York

American legendary singer Tony Bennett is no more. The multiple Grammy-winning singer, who was best known for singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," has died at the age of 96. Bennett's longtime publicist, Sylvia Weiner, has confirmed the news.

Bennett breathed his last inNew York on Friday. No cause of death has been revealed. However, in 2020, his family revealed that the singer had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. He tweeted back then, "Life is a gift – even with Alzheimer’s."

'''Tony Bennett, born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Astoria, Queens on August 3rd, 1926, passed away in his hometown of New York City at the age of 96 earlier today. The beloved singer, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2016, is survived by his wife, Susan Benedetto, his two sons, Danny and Dae Bennett, his daughters Johanna Bennett and Antonia Bennett and 9 grandchildren," his rep told PEOPLE.

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Bennett began singing at a very young age. Very few people knew that he fought in the last yearsof World War II and participated in the Liberation of a German death camp in southern Germany. Bennett is one of the few who charmed the generations with his classic rendition -starting from the 1950s to 2021 when his album with pop sensation Lady Gaga was released.

He got his first superhit song in 1951, ''Because of You'' and then there was no turning back for Bennett. In 1962, the crooner released the single "I Left My Heart in San Francisco'', which changed the trajectory of hiscareer. For his superhit single, Bennett earned his first Grammy award - Record of the Year and Best Solo Male Performance of the Year. In his iconic career, the singer earned 20 Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.For the song, he gained recognition in the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1994.

Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto in Astoria, Queens, New York, into a family of Italian immigrant parents. Raised in poverty, Bennett's father was a grocer and his mother a seamstress. At the age of 10, he started singing and performing at the opening of the Triborough Bridge, now known as the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. He grew up listening to singers like Al Jolson, Eddie Cantor, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, and Louis Armstrong, among others.

His last public appearance was at New York's Radio City Music Hall in August 2021, when he performed with Lady Gaga - two months before the release of their album ''Love for Sale''.

Hereleased more than 70 albums and sold more than 50 million records worldwide. At the age of 88, Bennett made history by becoming the oldest living performer with a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart for ''Cheek to Cheek'' in 2014.Bennett made a Guinness World Record in his name as the oldest person to release an album of new material, at the age of 95 years and 60 days.

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