Arrivederci, Anthony Bennedetto

On Friday, painter Anthony Bennedetto died at the age of 96, a few weeks shy of his birthday. Bennedetto’s paintings have been exhibited in the Smithsonian and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

But perhaps you might better recognize Anthony Bennedetto by his more famous stage name as a singer, Tony Bennett.

Normally I might take this opportunity to rage against the dying of the light that yet again the wrong people keep dying. And that would seem to fit here as Tony Bennett was not only a gifted singer and a consummate professional but by all accounts a really good guy.  Yeah, it’s s shame Tony Bennett had to die while other less deserving people are still sucking up the air.

But death comes for all, whether good or not so good and Tony Bennett pack a lot of living into those years.  Even while battling Alzheimer’s, he still managed to record more music.  Tony’s music earned him 18 Grammy Awards over seven decades.  

After serving World War II, Bennett started his music career that spanned the worlds of pop and jazz and earned him acclaim through the 1960’s.

But heading into the 1970’s, Bennett’s style of music fell out of fashion which led to a dark period of dejection that led Bennett down a path of drug abuse.

But Bennett fought back against his drug habit and kicked it cold and kick started his career in an unexpected place, on MTV.   Bennett’s 1994 “Unplugged” special for MTV earned him another grammy and a new audience who enthusiastically embraced his music once more.

Tony Bennett with Lady Gaga 

Bennett was also a civil rights activist. He joined actor Harry Belafonte for Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1965 march from Selma, Alabama. This was a a career risk at a time when Bennett’s audience was predominantly white.

It is a shame we’ve lost Tony Bennett and his time is at an end. But he did something with that time and what a time it was.

Arrivederci, Anthony Bennedetto! 

Fly us to the moon one more time, Tony.