Director Martin Scorsese and musical contemporaries like Elton John, Billy Joel and Bette Midler paid tribute to Tony Bennett after his death at age 96 on Friday.
“Tony Bennett was a consummate artist. All you have to do is listen to any one of his hundreds of recordings to recognize that,” Scorsese wrote in a statement. “Very early on, his music quietly wove itself into the fabric of our lives,” Scorsese wrote in a statement. “His voice felt as familiar and as close as the voices of our loved ones. I know that this was true for millions of people around the world.”
The jazz singer died at 96 years old at his home in Manhattan.
“For Italian-Americans who were growing up in the middle of the 20th century, that familiarity ran even deeper. At a certain point, we started to imagine that Tony would live forever,” Scorsese continued. “Of course he didn’t. Nobody does. But the music? That’s another story.”
Midler tweeted about the singer and expressed gratitude to have witnessed his artistry. “The singer’s singer, Tony Bennett, has died,” Midler wrote on Twitter. “I’m thankful I was alive during his musical reign, to hear and treasure the music he made and the man himself. He will be sorely missed.”
John posted to Instagram: “Without a doubt the classiest singer, man and performer you will ever see. He’s irreplaceable.”
The Amy Winehouse Foundation tweeted a tribute to Bennett, writing “Today marks the end of an era, as we say farewell to Tony Bennett. A true star, a true gentleman and a wonderful friend and mentor to Amy. Thank you for the music Tony. Our love and heartfelt condolences to all his family and friends.”
Joel remembered the jazz singer in a tweet, calling Bennett “one of the most important interpreters of American popular song during the mid to late 20th century… He championed songwriters who might otherwise have remained unknown to many millions of music fans.”
Harry Connick Jr. tweeted “rest in peace, Tony… you changed the world with your voice… thank you for always being so kind to me… i love you and i’ll miss you very much…”
Ozzy Osbourne also expressed sympathies on Twitter, writing, “Very sad to hear about Tony Bennett’s passing. Rest in peace.”
The Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco, which unveiled an eight-foot-tall bronze statue of Bennett in 2016 posted to Instagram about the singer’s death. “Our most heartfelt condolences go out to Tony Bennett’s family, friends and worldwide fans,” they wrote. “The legendary crooner who left his heart in San Francisco has forever left his mark atop Nob Hill.”
Read a roundup of tributes below:
