Legendary Singer Tony Bennett Dead at 96 After Grueling Alzheimer's Battle

Tony Bennett has devastatingly died at the age of 96.

On Friday morning, July 21, the legendary singer passed away peacefully inside of his New York City home after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer's disease, his representative confirmed.

Bennett is recognized as one of the greatest singers of all time — and proved the title to be true when his album Duets II landed itself as No. 1 on the Billboard 200 list back in 2011, when the icon was 85 years old.

The "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" vocalist was first diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016, but kept his heartbreaking health woes hidden from the public until 2021.

After his difficult battle with the disease was revealed, his wife, Susan Benedetto, opened up about life as a caretaker of the Grammy-winning artist.

"He would ask me, 'What is Alzheimer’s?'" she detailed during a 60 Minutes interview in October 2021. "I would explain, but he wouldn’t get it."

"He’d tell me, 'Susan, I feel fine.' That’s all he could process, physically he felt great. So nothing changed in his life. Anything that did change, he wasn’t aware of," she continued.

Despite struggling with the intense illness, Bennett was able to remember and keep close to his dear friend Lady Gaga, who collaborated with the "Rags to Riches" star for two separate albums.

Benedetto confirmed in 2021 that her husband "most definitely" remembered the "Bad Romance" singer, as "Gaga is hard to forget.”

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Bennett still appreciated his successful life even after his frustrating diagnosis, stating via Twitter at the time his sickness was revealed to the public: "Life is a gift — even with Alzheimer’s. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support."

Unfortunately "the disease progressed," over the last two years, according to Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital who diagnosed Bennett.

While he had "cognitive issues, multiple other areas of his brain are still resilient and functioning well," the doctor noted back in April.

The Associated Press received a statement from Bennett's rep confirming his death.