Tony Bennett And His Wife Susan Had A Bigger Age Gap Than We Thought
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Famed musician Tony Bennett died on July 21, 2023, at the age of 96. His long life allowed him to enjoy a successful career that spanned seven decades and gave him precious time to spend with his family, including his wife, Susan Benedetto, and four children from previous marriages.
It's not uncommon for musicians to have partners with large age gaps — Beyonce and Jay Z, David Foster and Katherine McPhee, and Tommy Lee and Brittany Furlan, just to name a few. Tony and Susan — who took Tony's original surname upon marriage — are among the many for whom this is true. The pair have a shocking age difference of 40 years, having met when Susan was just 19. They certainly proved that age can be just a number when it comes to having a successful relationship. According to People, Tony and Susan dated for 20 years before tying the knot in 2007.
How did the couple meet?
Tony Bennett and Susan Benedetto have an interesting origin story that many young fans have dreamed about — meeting their idol and falling in love. At age 19, Susan was one of the crooner's biggest fans, even running a fan club for him. Tony revealed in his 2016 memoir "Just Getting Started" that she attended one of his concerts in San Francisco and made a request to see him backstage. "It tickled me that someone of her age was so devoted to my music. I not only agreed to say hello to her backstage but asked her to be my date for the evening, and that's how it all really began," he wrote.
In an ironic twist of fate, the lovebirds had actually met once before — sort of. Susan's parents, Marion and Dayl Crow, attended a Tony Bennett concert in 1966 and took a photo with the star. It turned out that Marion was pregnant with Susan at the time, and little did they know the musician would one day wed their daughter. The couple instilled their love of Tony Bennett and his music in Susan, leading her to seek him out as an adult. The rest, as they say, is history.
Susan became Tony's caregiver
In 2016 Tony Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, though he continued to perform for several more years, ending his career in 2022 with a series of concerts with Lady Gaga, per the Daily Mail. His wife, Susan Benedetto, became his primary caretaker at that time. In a 2021 interview with "60 Minutes" after publicly announcing Tony's diagnosis, Susan shared how thankful she was that he was still able to recognize her and his children.
Though Tony's memory was failing, it seemed as if his passion for singing was the only thing that never wavered. Susan described being backstage before one of his final performances with Gaga, having to remind Tony what was happening. Then, "Once he saw the audience ... he raises his hands ... I knew we were alright because he became himself. He just turned on. You know, it was like a light switch," she said. With Susan by his side and music in his heart, Tony was surrounded by love until the very end.