Lady Gaga reflects on death after the passing of Tony Bennet

The singer reflected on the death of Tony Bennett and the importance of caring for our elders in an Instagram post.

Ten days after his death, Lady Gaga says goodbye to Tony Bennett in a lengthy message posted on her Instagram account. Bennett, who passed away on 21 July, and Gaga were friends and collaborators and released two joint albums, ‘Cheek to Cheek’ (2014) and ‘Love for Sale’ (2021), so a public farewell message from Stefani Germanotta to the great performer was somewhat expected.

“I will miss friend forever,” Gaga writes. “I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage with him. With Tony I got to live my life as in another era, we were transported to another era, we modernised music together, but it wasn’t a role, our relationship was very real.” Gaga notes that Bennett always approached life with “gratitude” and “optimism”.

Gaga talks about her and Bennett’s five-decade age difference, a difference that “didn’t matter” because “it gave us both something we didn’t have with anyone else”. She also reflects on the singer’s Alzheimer’s, bringing us closer to the reality of the disease.

“When someone loses their memory, it is a sacred moment in that person’s life. A deep sense of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity emerges. All I wanted Tony to remember was how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life. But as that faded, I knew that he wanted to share with me the most vulnerable moment of his life, to sing with me as his nature was profoundly changing”.

“Don’t underestimate your elders, don’t leave them behind when things change,” he continues. “Do not be afraid when you feel sad, go forward without hesitation, sadness is part of life. Take care of your elders and I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magic. And pay attention to the silence; some of the most meaningful moments my musical partner and I shared had no melody at all”.