Days after the disappearance of Tony Bennett on July 21, Lady Gaga decided to pay tribute to her friend and colleague with a sweet message posted on her Instagram profile. After Gaga performed several songs together, she wanted to remember him like this: “I will always miss my friend. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together.”
“Tony and I had this magical power. We were transported to another era, together we modernized the music and gave it a new life as a musical duo. But it was not a play. Our relationship was very real. Sure, he taught me about music, the life of show business, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits up and my fucking head up. “Straight ahead,” he said. He was an optimist, believed in quality work and quality life. And there was gratitude… Tony was always grateful. He fought in World War II, marched with Martin Luther King Jr. and sang jazz with the world’s greatest singers and musicians.”
“I mourned the loss of Tony for a long time,” the singer continues, “we had a very long and strong goodbye. Despite the fact that there were 5 decades (ages) between us, he was my friend. My real friend. Our age difference didn’t matter, in fact it gave each of us something that none of us had with most people. We were at two different stages of life (but) totally inspired. Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s was painful, but also beautiful. The era of memory loss is such a sacred moment in a person’s life. Such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to maintain dignity. All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I love him and how grateful I am to have him in my life. But as it slowly faded away, I knew that deep down he shared with me the most vulnerable moment of his life: he is ready to sing with me when his nature changes so much.
“I will never forget this experience,” Lady Gaga concludes, “I will never forget Tony Bennett. If I could say anything to the world about this, I would say: don’t take older people for granted, don’t leave them behind when things change. Don’t blink when you’re sad, keep walking straight, being sad is part of it. Take care of your elders and I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magical. And beware of silence – some of my most meaningful conversations with my musical partner have been without a tune. I love you Tony. With love, Lady.”
(Instagram photo source: ladygaga)
Tags: LADY GAGA, Tony Bennett