Tony Bennett Battles Alzheimer’s Disease

Tony Bennett has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, his wife, Susan, told AARP The Magazine.

According to his family, the 18 time GRAMMY winner is taking each day one note at time. Bennett’s greatest therapy is singing. He rehearses twice a week.

“He has devoted his whole life to the Great American songbook and now the songbook is saving him,” Susan Bennett told CBS This Morning.

Alzheimer’s is a degenerative brain disease characterized by progressive memory loss that affects speech, understanding, and recognition of family and friends.

More than five million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, including one in 10 people age 65 or older.

There’s research suggesting a link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s, suggesting that people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, are at higher risk of eventually developing Alzheimer’s dementia or other dementias.

Alzheimer’s symptoms may initially include repeating questions, getting lost in a familiar place or misplacing things, and may eventually progress to hallucinations, angry outbursts, and the inability to recognize family and friends or communicate at all. Alzheimer’s has no cure.

Tony Bennett, first diagnosed in 2016, has so far been spared the disorientation and the episodes of terror, rage  and/or depression.

Susan Bennett said that he can still recognize family members, but the magazine reported that “mundane objects as familiar as a fork or a set of house keys can be utterly mysterious to him.”

His diagnosis hasn’t stopped him from performing. According to People Magazine the 94 year old singer has has concert dates scheduled for later this year, with the first in March.

“It kept him on his toes and also stimulated his brain in a significant way,” Bennett’s neurologist, Gayatri Devi told AARP The Magazine. “He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder.”

“He’s not the old Tony anymore,” his wife, Susan, said. “But when he sings, he’s the old Tony.”

Bennett’s family kept his secret for four years, but decided to break their silence now with the release of his new album. The disclosure is a way to remove some of the stigma associated with the incurable disease, they said.

“Being open about a diagnosis in such a public manner takes great courage and compassion,” said Beth Kallmyer, vice president for care and support with the Alzheimer’s Association.

Editor’s note: It has not been reported that Tony Bennett is living with diabetes.

Why Luther Vandross Was The Catalyst for Frank Sinatra’s Duets Album

This success of Frank Sinatra’s highly acclaimed Duets album, released in 1993, would not have been possible without the remarkable vocal talents of Luther Vandross.

The Making of a Multi Platinum Album…

Billed as “The Recording Event of the Decade,” Duets brought together an array of global superstars including Tony Bennett, Natalie Cole, Gloria Estefan, Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin, for an album of standards that featured many songs instantly associated with Ol’ Blues Eyes.

Music insiders referred to it as groundbreaking because it showcased Sinatra alongside his peers in the hitmaking royalty category.

Luther Vandross was reluctant to participate in the project when he was approached by the album’s producer, Phil Ramone. “Why do you want me, Phil? Frank Sinatra’s never heard of me.”

When Luther finally agreed, he requested the Richard Rogers and Lorenz Hart classic “The Lady Is A Tramp.” This songwriting duet created it for their Broadway show, Babes in Arms, and it was sung by the show’s star Mitzi Green in 1939.

Sinatra performed the song in the movie version of the play in 1957 and it quickly became one of his signature songs.

Although Luther and Sinatra recorded their parts at Capitol Records Studio A in Los Angeles, a familiar studio for Sinatra, they did not sing together, nor did any of the others. The album was engineered with such utter precision, most listeners never knew that Sinatra hadn’t actually performed beside his duet partners.

Luther Vandross Was The Catalyst for The Album’s Creations

Luther and Sinatra’s song was the first to be brought to Sinatra for his approval. The entire project’s completion hung on whether Frank Sinatra liked what he heard.  The verdict was, “That’s wonderful,” and it’s Luther’s voice, not Sinatra’s, that kicks off the album. Pretty wonderful indeed!

https://youtu.be/1WdgZmwgfK8

Duets is a marvelous and nostalgic comeback from a singer who has been absent from the recording scene for many years,” reported The Christian Science Monitor.

Frank Sinatra’s Duets album is the only Sinatra album to date to achieve triple platinum certification. It is also the biggest worldwide selling duets album in history.

For Luther Vandross, it’s just another example of his musical genius. 

We’re celebrating the musical legacy of Luther Vandross and raising awareness for diabetes health-related complications (such as vision loss) on Divabetic’s Annual Luther Vandross Tribute podcast.

Diabetic eye disease, caused by diabetes, is a leading cause of blindness and vision loss. Because of the high risk for eye disease, all people with type 2 diabetes should receive an annual dilated eye exam..

Guests include Andre “Doctor Dre” Brown, Nat Adderley Jr.,  Dr. Khoshnevis, Danny Clay, and Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE.  Throughout this podcast we will be featuring music from Luther Vandross’s album, ‘The Night I Fell In Love’ courtesy of SONY Music