On This Day: Revisiting Tony Bennett’s Last Performance Ever

Tony Bennett’s stunning, record-breaking career came to an end on August 5, 2021, when the famed crooner gave his last performance at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. From the location to the setlist to the sentimental campiness of it all, the affair was quintessentially Bennett.

Bennett performed his final show with pop icon Lady Gaga, who began a collaborative relationship with the octogenarian in the early aughts. Seven years after releasing their first duo album ‘Cheek to Cheek,’ Lady Gaga walked with Bennett offstage for the last time.

Remembering Tony Bennett’s Last Performance

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s pair of shows at New York City’s historic Radio City Music Hall served as a half-celebration of Bennett’s 95th birthday and half-promotion of the jazz duo’s sophomore release, ‘Love for Sale.’ Radio City advertised the dates as Bennett’s final hometown shows in New York City, but after the singer’s doctor advised him to cancel his subsequent tour dates along the East Coast, the two August shows became his final performances ever.

Luckily, CBS broadcast One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, allowing fans from all over to tune in to watch the iconic singer croon his last set. Bennett performed hit tracks from his decades-long career, including “Fly Me to the Moon,” “Steppin’ Out With My Baby,” and “Watch What Happens.” With Lady Gaga by his side, the duo also performed “Love for Sale,” “Anything Goes,” and the first duet they ever sang together, “The Lady is a Tramp.”

After Bennett closed the show with his signature tune, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” Lady Gaga approached her duet partner and said, “Tony, we’re all so grateful to have witnessed your talent, your generosity, your creativity, your kindness, and your service throughout all these years. Mr. Bennett, it would be my honor to escort you off the stage” (via Decider).

The Decision To Make The Performances His Last

Tony Bennett’s enduring musical career started in the early 1950s with his breakthrough hit, “Because of You.” Although he experienced a professional lull with the rise of rock and roll in the 60s and 70s, Bennett nevertheless cemented his place as one of the most iconic jazz singers of the 21st century. His early aughts collaboration with Lady Gaga helped introduce his legacy to younger audiences, giving him a rare career boost in his later years.

Bennett was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, one of the most common forms of age-related dementia, in 2016. Because of the slow progression of his illness, Bennett was able to continue recording and performing with only minor adjustments to the collaboration, rehearsing, and touring process. The long-time performer’s family and crew often remarked that any signs of Bennett’s dementia faded away as soon as he took the stage. Nevertheless, Bennett’s doctors suggested it was too dangerous for the singer to continue performing.

“There won’t be any additional concerts,” Bennett’s song and long-time manager, Danny Bennett, told Variety. “This was a hard decision for us to make, as he is a capable performer. This is, however, doctors’ orders. His continued health is the most important part of this, and when we heard the doctors—when Tony’s wife, Susan, heard them—she said, ‘Absolutely not.’”

“It’s not the singing aspect but, rather, the traveling,” Danny Bennett continued. “He gets tired. We’re not worried about him being able to sing. We are worried, from a physical standpoint, about human nature. Tony’s 95.” The iconic singer died in his New York City home on July 21, 2023. His family buried him next to his parents in Queens.

Photo by Kevin Mazur for Getty Images