Lady Gaga shares the joys and heartbreak of making a new album with Tony Bennett as he struggles with Alzheimer’s

Lady Gaga met Tony Bennett a decade ago, leaving behind the scenes during a gala performance in New York. The two became “fast friends” and unlikely singing partners, recording and touring live. Her 2014 duet album “Cheek to Cheek” debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, capturing the hearts of several generations. Gaga always spoke fondly of Bennett in interviews and, for the past two years, the duo has been working on a new album together.

But a newly revealed development puts this effort in a totally different light: Bennett’s wife and son publicly announced that the legendary 94-year-old jazz singer was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.

In the latest issue of AARP magazine, writer John Colapinto describes the meeting with Bennett recently in the New York apartment he shares with his wife and primary caregiver, Susan. The image he paints in the article is familiar to those who have experienced the cognitive decline of a loved one – alternating expressionless reactions and moments of lucidity without rhyme or apparent reason. Susan says that, fortunately, he can still remember family members, but he is not always sure what he is doing or what is happening. “Worldly objects as familiar as a fork or a set of house keys can be totally mysterious to him,” wrote Colapinto.

Susan told AARP that they are lucky because her husband has a lot of support and is still able to lead a relatively normal life as his memory deteriorates. She wasn’t sure if he would be able to record an album, but they decided to try. Music is a surprisingly powerful tool for people with Alzheimer’s – even patients with severe and advanced dementia can have memories activated with music – so Bennett’s neurologist encouraged him to continue making music as long as he wants.

So this is what he did when making this new album with Lady Gaga, which is scheduled to be released this spring. However, he will not be able to promote you through interviews or tours as he normally would. Even during the recording sessions, the evidence of his illness hit him hard when he wasn’t singing, as Colapinto shared:

“In the raw documentary of the sessions, he speaks rarely, and when he makes his words they are hesitant; at times, he seems lost and confused. Gaga, clearly aware of his condition, keeps his statements short and simple (as recommended by experts in the disease) when they talk to Alzheimer’s patients). ‘You look so good, Tony,’ she says to him at one point. ‘Thank you,’ is the one-word answer. She says she thinks ‘all the time.’ about her 2015 tour. Tony looks at her wordlessly. – Wasn’t it fun every night? she asks him. ‘Yes,’ he says, uncertainly. The pain and sadness on Gaga’s face is clear in those moments – but never more so than in an extraordinarily moving sequence in which Tony (a man she calls “an incredible mentor, friend and father figure”) sings a solo passage from a love song. Gaga observes, behind her microphone, her smile breaking into a tremor, her eyes watering, before placing her hands over her face and sobbing. “

Watching a loved one’s mind flee is tiring enough to seem cruel. There is no other way to put it. The friends and family of the nearly 5 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s can attest to how difficult this is, especially when cognitive decline leads to even the most intimate relationships being forgotten.

The difficulty of Alzheimer’s makes it difficult to destigmatize the disease. People should know that it is not an immediate death sentence and that they can have a quality life with the support of their loved ones long after they have been diagnosed. We don’t have to hide people with dementia – but we do need to understand how to interact with them, as well as what to expect and what not to expect.

And sometimes people with Alzheimer’s can surprise us. Susan said that despite the obvious cognitive decline, Bennett was still able to perform his music flawlessly, until his last public performance in March 2020, when the pandemic stopped the shows. She said he could seem very confused about where he was and what was going on behind the scenes before a performance, but as soon as he heard “Ladies and gentlemen – Tony Bennett!” he would go up on stage, smile to the audience and sing with his heart as he always did. During each performance for the past four years, Susan worried if he forgot a letter or got confused on stage. “I was on a nervous breakdown,” she said. “However, he always delivered!”

It is worth reading the entire AARP article, as it profiles Bennett’s illustrious career, his life before and after Alzheimer’s diagnosis and how his family is coping with the changes in him. It also includes some valuable information about dementia for people who are going through similar changes with their loved ones.

While the world awaits the release of the collaboration of Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Bennett’s family and friends await the inevitable. Susan has indicated that she will know the end is near when Bennett stops singing. “Singing is everything for him. All. It has saved your life many times, ”she told Colapinto, before pointing again to the power of music.

“There are many things about him that I miss because he is no longer old Tony,” she said. “But when he sings, he’s old Tony.”