Tony Bennett, timeless singer who won over fans for decades, dies at 96

Tony Bennett, the enduring New York City crooner who famously left his heart in San Francisco and melted hearts all over the world during his more than seven decades on the music scene, died Friday. He was 96, just two weeks short of his birthday.

Publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett’s death to The Associated Press, saying he died in his hometown of New York. There was no specific cause, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.

Adored by fans and held in the highest regard by musicians from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, Bennett was a consummate performer who had a remarkable ability to endear himself to new generations of listeners, even as his contemporaries faded away. Sinatra once called him, “for my money the best singer in the business, the best exponent of a song.”

In all, Bennett made dozens of albums and sold millions of records in a career that seemed to stretch seamlessly though the decades and changing musical landscape. For much of his career he was perpetually on the road, sometimes performing 200 shows a year. And though he had occasional periods when his career ebbed as his repertoire went out of style, he repeatedly found