Tony Bennett's widow says she was "blessed" to have Tony in her life.
'I was blessed to have Tony in my life': Tony Bennett's widow Susan pays tribute to late star
The legendary singer passed away at the age of 96 following a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease and Susan Benedetto, 56 - who he tied the knot with in 2007 - has spoken out about how lucky she feels to have had 16 years of marriage with him.
Speaking about Tony's Italian roots, she told PEOPLE: "Tony, naturally, loved visiting his ancestral homeland, and we spent many summers in Italy over the years, and it was always a special time for us to be together, just the two of us."
"Tony would paint all day, and then we would eat pasta, which was his favourite meal. Everyone knows Tony had heart, but he also was a wonderful soul.
"Benedetto, his family name, which I made my own when we married, means 'the blessed one,' and I was most certainly blessed to have Tony in my life."
Meanwhile, Susan previously said the world can find “joy” in his legacy “forever”.
Susan, who became Tony’s third wife when they married in 2007, wrote on Instagram: “Thank you to all the fans, friends and colleagues of Tony’s who celebrated his life and humanity and shared their love of him and his musical legacy.
“From his first performances as a singing waiter in Queens to his last performances in 2021 at Radio City Music Hall, Tony delighted in performing the songs he loved and making people happy. And as sad as today has been for all of us we can find joy in Tony’s legacy forever.”
The statement was signed by Susan and one of Bennett’s sons, Danny, who he had with his first wife Patricia Beech.
Tony – born Anthony Dominick Benedetto – died in his native New York City two weeks before his 97th birthday, with a post on his Instagram feed saying: “Tony left us today but he was still singing the other day at his piano and his last song was, ‘Because of You,’ his first #1 hit.”
He married art student Patricia Beech in 1952 a year after he met her following one of his nightclub gigs.
Along with Danny, who became Tony’s manager, the singer had son Dae.
He and Patricia split in 1965, and four years later Patricia sued for divorce on grounds of adultery.
His second wife was Sandra Grant, who he married in 1972 before they split in 1983.
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