The American singer Tony Bennett made history again and, despite suffering from Alzheimer’s in an advanced stage, his iconic performances with Lady Gaga in August last year, which resulted in an album, made him one of the great protagonists of the imminent 64th Grammy Awards edition .

The event, which will be held at the imposing MGM Arena in Las Vegas, will feature the presence of the artist, who set a new Guinness Record for being the longest to release an album at 95 years and 57 days .

The author of hits like “Blue Velvet” earned five nominations for the 2022 Grammys in the categories of “Pop Duo Performance”, “Traditional Pop Vocal Album”, “Music Video”, “Album of the Year” (for “Love for sale ”) and “Recording of the year” (“I get a kick out of you”), all of them in the company of Lady Gaga.

Tony Bennett is the second-oldest shortlisted at the Grammy Awards , behind only blues pianist Pinetop Perkins, who took first place in 2011, when at age 97, he also took the award for best “ Traditional album of the genre”.

The New York singer was able to win his first Grammy in 1963 thanks to his emblematic song “I left my heart in San Francisco”, which is also part of the list in his latest production.

In total, the artist accumulates 20 Grammys and triumphed in the “Traditional Pop Vocal Album” section on 13 occasions . His latest achievement dates back to 2018, when he was honored for “Tony Bennett celebrates 90″.

Music, Tony Bennett’s best remedy against Alzheimer’s

On this occasion, the ceremony will be bittersweet. It happens that the degenerative disease suffered by the interpreter worsened over the years and the first warning signs appeared when he could not remember the names of his companions on stage; At the insistence of his family, Bennett agreed to undergo tests and the diagnosis was confirmed in 2016.

Susan Crow, the legend’s wife, commented in a documentary that the singer-songwriter does not know he has Alzheimer’s : “He recognizes me, thank God, and his children too, we are blessed. It’s very sweet. Every day is different. Sometimes first thing in the morning he is more alert.”

Despite the disagreements, the doctors recommended that he continue making music to improve his cognitive ability : “It’s the best for him. Even more than all the medicines and all the treatments, there is nothing more exhilarating for Tony.”

In any case, the situation was modified in the rehearsals that he shared with Lady Gaga in the preview of the concerts in Radio City, in 2018 : “Something incredible happened. Her accompanist, Lee Musiker, started playing and suddenly she was back. He had no notes or memory aids. We were amazed because all the old songs of his were still there somehow”.

The figure of Bennett transcends the microworld of notes and scores: in the early ’60s, he ventured into the seventh art and was a supporting actor in the film “The Oscar” that brought together different winners of the statuette . At the same time, he also made cameo appearances in more than ten series and movies as himself.

The 2022 Grammy Awards were to take place on January 31, but had to be postponed due to the resurgence of Covid-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant around the world. The artist who fell in love with generations will wait for a new recognition that will magnify his legend Of him. The final scene of his last concert perfectly represents his legacy: an endless ovation for the singer who never stops breaking records.

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