'Tony Bennett Day' celebrated in NYC on singer's 95th birthday

Wednesday, August 4, 2021

'Tony Bennett Day' celebrated in NYC on singer's 95th birthday

Tuesday marked Tony Bennett Day in New York in honor of the NYC treasure and icon's 95th birthday.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Tuesday marked Tony Bennett Day in New York in honor of the NYC treasure and icon's 95th birthday.

To mark the occasion, he is performing alongside Lady Gaga at Radio City Music Hall on Tuesday and Thursday nights as the final concerts of his career.

Bennett was born in Astoria, Queens, in 1926. He fought in the final stages of World War II as a U.S. Army infantryman in the European Theater. He is a Grammy and Emmy Award winner, a Gershwin Award and Kennedy Center honoree and an accomplished visual artist with three of his original paintings in the Smithsonian Institute's permanent collection.

Earlier this year, Bennett's family revealed the legendary singer has been battling Alzheimer's disease for nearly five years.

"Music and the arts have long been an essential piece of the fabric of New York, and you would be hard-pressed to find someone who has made more of a contribution in this space than Tony Bennett," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. "Not only is Tony a born and bred New Yorker who has been dazzling audiences with beautiful music for more than six decades, but he has always stayed true to his humble New York roots and can always be spotted throughout the City whether he is working on his next painting in Central Park, or just chatting with fans on the street. From growing up as a child of immigrants, to all the contributions he has made to our community, Tony Bennett is a New Yorker in the truest sense of the word and I am honored to proclaim August 3, 2021 as 'Tony Bennett Day' in New York."

As part of his birthday celebrations, Columbia Records' parent company Sony Music Entertainment endowed a bench in Bennett's name in Central Park.

The singer got his start with Columbia Records in 1950 and Central Park is his most cherished spot in all of NYC.

The bench is located on the east side of Center Drive when entering the park at Central Park South and Sixth Avenue.

TOP NEWS | NYC announces proof of vaccine requirement for indoor events