Jul. 21 2023, Published 11:09 a.m. ET
Tony Bennett‘s golden years came at the tail end of a rocky road marked by out-of-control drug use, bouts of staggering depression, two divorces, and financial problems that included a whopping $2 million debt to the Internal Revenue Service. The legendary entertainer died on Friday at 96, and RadarOnline.com can reveal it was his rival, Frank Sinatra, who once saved his career.
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While Tony lived the good life, an insider spilled, “He’s paid for it in spades.” They also added that Bennett’s life had been “anything but smooth sailing.”
Bennett grew up poor in Queens, New York, and got his start in showbiz as a singing waiter. After serving in World War II, he was discovered by singer Pearl Bailey while performing in Greenwich Village. That soon led to Bob Hope signing him to a road tour.
“And I’ve been on the road ever since,” Bennett used to joke.
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And there were plenty of detours. One came in the early ’60s, when artistic differences led to a rift between Bennett and record company execs. That’s when one of his idols — and competitors — came to his rescue.
In a 1965 Life magazine cover story, Ol’ Blue Eyes talked about other singers he liked.
At one point he declared: “But for my money Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business.” Sinatra died of a heart attack in 1998, but Bennett appreciated the impact of that critical endorsement.
“That statement blew me away and literally changed my life,” recalled Tony in his memoir, Life Is A Gift. “After Frank said I was his favorite, everyone wanted to hear me perform. It was probably the single most generous thing any artist has done for another.”
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Although his career was soaring, thanks to hits like Stranger In Paradise and his trademark I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Bennett suffered personal problems.
His first marriage to Patricia collapsed among her charges of adultery, and he started living with aspiring actress Sandy Grant, whom he wed in 1971, soon after his divorce from Patricia was finalized.
But he also got hooked on drugs.
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“Cocaine flowed as freely as champagne,” he said. “First it seemed the hip thing to do. But as time went on, it got harder and harder to refuse it when it was offered.”
As the ’70s came to an end, Bennett found himself with no manager, no recording contract, scant performances outside of Las Vegas and a second failing marriage. He was also devastated by the death of his beloved mom, Ann, in 1977.
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It all culminated two years later when he overdosed on cocaine and passed out in a bathtub. Luckily, Sandy came home just in time to rush him to a hospital.
“It was a torturous period of suffering,” Bennett said about those dark days.
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But Bennett survived and flourished. In his last years, he was still turning out hits like Cheek To Cheek, his Grammy-winning collaboration with pop superstar Lady Gaga.
The two got along so well, Gaga even posed nude for Bennett, who was also an accomplished painter.
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“She was as professional and elegant undressed as she was dressed,” said Bennett. “We had a lot of fun together.”
The singer’s publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed his death on Friday morning. Bennett left behind his third wife, Susan Crow, and four children.
RIP