Lady Gaga still includes Tony Bennett in her shows nearly two months after the legendary musician died.
The 37-year-old marked her return to her Las Vegas residency, "Lady Gaga: Jazz & Piano," with a special selfie on Instagram. The acclaimed shows follow her previous Las Vegas residency in May 2022.
Upon her return, Lady Gaga took Bennett's memories with her.
Lady Gaga Honors Tony Bennett
On her "Lady Gaga: Jazz & Piano Las Vegas" Thursday show, Lady Gaga officially returned to the stage for the first time since Tony Bennett died. She made it extra special by honoring the iconic musician and thanking his wife, Susan Benedetto, who was in the audience.
Bennett was married to Benedetto for nearly two decades after growing together for almost 40 years.
The "Bad Romance" crooner told Benedetto she is loved by the audience before delivering a speech about Bennett - who was reportedly the reason the show exists.
READ ALSO : Tony Bennett Health Problems Before Death: Singer Struggled Due to These Issues Aside From Alzheimer's
"But if I know Tony well, I know he would be real mad at me for being sad, so I couldn't come out here and be sad," she told her fans. "I sang this song while Tony was still alive, and I'm going to sing it now even though he's gone, because he'll never be gone."
She then called Benedetto again and dedicated a slowed-down version of "Fly Me to the Moon" to her, mentioning her name in the middle part of the song.
Lady Gaga met Bennett in 2011 at a gala, and they became close friends since then. They also collaborated on the albums "Cheek to Cheek" and "Love for Sale," both of which received Grammy awards.
Tony Bennett's Death
Tony Bennett's publicist Sylvia Weiner issued a statement in July confirming his death, saying he died at his New York City home due to age-related causes.
In 2021, he revealed he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016 but chose to continue recording and performing despite the diagnosis.
Lady Gaga remembered her "forever friend" in an Instagram post days after Bennett's death, recalling their true friendship and how he inspired her to keep going on and off the camera. She addressed Bennett's Alzheimer's battle elsewhere in the message and shared that their age difference did not matter in becoming each other's reliable pal.
"Losing Tony to Alzheimer's has been painful but it was also really beautiful," she went on. "An era of memory loss is a sacred time in a person's life. There's such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity."
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