The family of Tony Bennett is revealing that for the last four years he’s been secretly battling Alzheimer’s Disease.
The 94-year-old shared his diagnosis and story with AARP The Magazine.
“Life is a gift – even with Alzheimer’s. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support, and
AARP The Magazine for telling my story,” he tweeted.
Life is a gift – even with Alzheimer’s. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support, and @AARP The Magazine for telling my story.
Read more here:https://t.co/R05A4jc5BF⁰
📸 Kelsey Bennett pic.twitter.com/ApxBCpGv0y
— Tony Bennett (@itstonybennett) February 1, 2021
Tony began showing symptoms of the disease two years after his diagnosis while he was recording his “Cheek to Cheek” album with Lady Gaga, according to AARP.
“There’s a lot about him that I miss. Because he’s not the old Tony anymore … But when he sings, he’s the old Tony,” his wife Susan Benedetto told the publication.
Dr. Gayatri Devi, a neurologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City who diagnosed the iconic singer in 2016, told the magazine, “’He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do, He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder.”
Gayle King, co-host of “CBS This Morning” spoke to Bennett’s wife about the decision to go public with his condition and share how he’s feeling.
“He’s like, ‘Susan, nothing hurts. I feel great.’ You know, he works out five times a week. He sings twice a week with a pianist that comes over. He only understands if something is an ouch, you know, then there’s a problem. If you ask him how he feels, he’s, ‘I feel great.’ Is anything wrong, Tone? ‘Nope, nothing’s wrong,’ you know?” Susan said.
She explained that his doctors don’t believe that he’ll drastically decline and that he’s even been able to record a series of mini concerts while quarantining at home and remembers every word to his songs.
His doctors believe that having singing sessions twice a week are stimulating his brain in a positive way.
Susan said, “No cue cards. He sings for about an hour or 75 minutes, sings the whole show, because if somebody calls up and says, ‘Hey, there’s a theatre. And you can come sing,’ he’ll be ready.”
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