In Memoriam 2023: Tony Bennett (1926–2023) Tribute List

Throughout his worldwide career, Tony Bennett — American crooner — garnered 19 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, an NEA Jazz Master, and a Kennedy Center Honoree. Best known for his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," Bennett's eight-decade-long career was grounded in the "Great American Songbook" and highlighted by duet collaborations with many famous artists. Beyond music, Bennett served in WWII, was involved in the civil rights movement, and co-founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts with his wife Susan. In 2016, Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, but courageously continued his singing career into 2022. This tribute honors his illustrious career through song lyrics and biographical articles.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. legendary
    so celebrated as to having taken on the nature of a myth
    Legendary singer Tony Bennett, best known for singing "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," has died, according to his longtime publicist, Sylvia Weiner.
    – CNN
  2. glory
    a state of high honor
    The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gray
    The glory that was Rome is of another day
    – I Left My Heart in San Francisco
  3. tattered
    worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing
    My clothes may still be torn and tattered
    But in my heart, I'd be a king
    Your love is all that ever mattered
    It's everything
    – Rags to Riches
  4. romance
    a relationship between two lovers
    Because of you there's a song in my heart
    Because of you my romance had its start
    – Because of You
  5. paradise
    any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
    It's paradise to be near you like this
    Because of you my life is now worth while
    And I can smile
    Because of you
    – Because of You
  6. precious
    held in great esteem for admirable qualities
    She wore Blue Velvet
    But in my heart there'll always be
    Precious and warm a memory through the years
    And I still can see Blue Velvet through my tears
    – Blue Velvet
  7. misery
    a feeling of intense unhappiness
    A somebody who will swear to be true
    Like you used to do with me
    Who'll leave you to learn
    That misery loves company, wait and see
    – I Wanna Be Around
  8. lonesome
    marked by sadness from being by oneself
    A memory from your lonesome past
    Keeps us so far apart
    Why can't I free your doubtful mind
    And melt your cold, cold heart
    – Cold, Cold Heart
  9. longing
    prolonged unfulfilled desire or need
    I spend my days in longing
    Wondering why it's me that you're wronging
    – Body and Soul
  10. mortal
    a human being
    That's a danger in Paradise
    For mortals who stand beside
    An angel like you
    – Stranger in Paradise
  11. tramp
    a disreputable vagrant
    She likes the free, fresh wind in her hair
    Life without care
    She's broke, and it's o'k
    She hates California, it's cold and it's damp
    That's why the lady is a tramp
    – The Lady is a Tramp
  12. translate
    make sense of a language
    To make sure you know what I'm saying
    I'll translate as I go along
    Fly me to the moon
    – Fly Me to the Moon
  13. desert
    leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
    For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me
    Not like it hurt me before
    For once, I have something I know won't desert me
    I'm not alone anymore
    – For Once in My Life
  14. sacrifice
    endure the loss of
    I'd sacrifice anything, come what might
    For the sake of having you near
    – I've Got You Under My Skin
  15. throes
    violent pangs of suffering
    As Anderson Cooper reported this week on 60 Minutes, music legend Tony Bennett is in the throes of Alzheimer's disease….He likely won't recall the stories behind the photos that fill his New York City apartment…But when Bennett hears that music, the soundtrack that has accompanied more than seven decades of American life, the singer that millions have come to know, returns.
    – TonyBennett.com
  16. pacifist
    someone opposed to violence as a means of settling disputes
    When Bennett returned to America in August 1946, he committed his life to being a pacifist. "The main thing I got out of my military experience was the realization that I am completely opposed to war," he wrote. "Every war is insane, no matter where it is or what it's about. Fighting is the lowest form of human behavior..."
    – PBS
  17. longevity
    duration of service
    The essence of his longevity and high artistic achievement was imbued in him in his loving, childhood home in the Astoria section of Queens where he was born on August 3, 1926.
    – TonyBennett.com
  18. creative
    having the ability or power to invent or make something
    "I love to paint as much as I love to sing," Bennett told the Associated Press in 2006, describing painting as "a big lift" that allowed him to "stay in this creative zone all the time."
    – Smithsonian Magazine
  19. endeavor
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    In 1999, Tony Bennett and his wife, Susan Benedetto, a former public-school teacher, founded Exploring the Arts (ETA) to strengthen the role of the arts in public high school education….ETA's first endeavor was the establishment of Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (FSSA), a public high school founded in 2001 by Tony and Susan in partnership with the NYC Department of Education.
    – TonyBennett.com
  20. duet
    a musical composition for two performers
    "A classical album with Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, you know, his wonderful rasp. That's where mine came from, being influenced by him. And then there's Ella, you know, singing so sweet and beautiful and that combination of contrasts – Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, those are the best duets," Bennett said.
    – CNN
Created on Mon Jul 24 19:36:49 EDT 2023 (updated Wed Jul 26 10:03:31 EDT 2023)

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