“He knows exactly what he’s doing and what’s important for me, actually, is to make sure that I don’t get in the way of that.”īut on the day of the performance, Bennett surprised Lady Gaga in a sentimental moment. “When that music comes on, something happens to him,” she said. She says she would ask him if he wanted to practice one of his songs and he would easily respond. The “Born This Way” singer explained that in rehearsals she found new ways to connect with Bennett by asking simple questions, as the singer’s brain disease impacts memory. She explained, “For the first couple of weeks that I saw Tony since COVID, he called me ‘sweetheart,’ but I wasn’t sure he knew who I was.” In her sit-down with Cooper, Lady Gaga said that during the rehearsals leading up to the shows, Bennett did not call her by her name. Lady Gaga to Receive Icon Award During Palm Springs International Film Festivalīennett and his family revealed in February that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016. Lady Gaga joined Bennett onstage in August for two shows at the Radio City Music Hall in honor of his 95th birthday and possibly his last time performing to a crowd. Bennett and Lady Gaga released an album in 2014 titled Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live! Bennett’s rep confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the singer’s second collaborative album with Lady Gaga, Love for Sale, will be his last studio album and he would not resume his touring schedule. On Sunday’s episode of 60 Minutes, Lady Gaga spoke with Anderson Cooper about recently performing with legendary crooner Tony Bennett, who is battling an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, and the emotional moment he said her name onstage for the first time “in a long time.”

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