Why Tony Bennett’s Last Words to His Son Danny Were ‘Thank You’
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Right up to the end, Tony Bennett remembered his family. The legendary vocalist died in July at age 96, after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease, but even in his final days, he retained his memories of his loved ones, including his oldest son, Danny.
“His last words to me was, ‘Thank you,’” Danny Bennett, 69, said in an interview with Today this month. “Can’t say it better than that.”
Those two words exemplified both a strong love between father and son, as well as a prosperous and successful business relationship. When Tony was at the lowest point in his life, it was hiring his son Danny as his business manager that helped put the singer’s personal and professional fortunes back on track.
“I realize how fortunate I am to have someone, in Danny, that is truly looking out for my best interests and not just in it for the money,” Tony said of his son in 1999.
Reaching a Low Point
By 1979, Tony had hit rock bottom. His career was in a slump, he was in massive debt from years of living beyond his means, and he was struggling with a drug addiction. After he learned the IRS planned to seize his Los Angeles home, Tony experienced a near-fatal cocaine overdose.
“That was the day of reckoning,” Danny previously told The New York Times. “That is when he called me up. I think that was a desperate move.”
At the time, Danny was a “25-year-old punk rocker with long, dyed-blue hair,” according to The Times. He had unsuccessfully pursued a musical career but discovered he had something his father lacked: a good head for business, having always managed the finances of his own bands. After Tony called him seeking help, he became his father’s business manager.
“'It was sad, but it didn’t affect me,” Danny said of receiving that call from his father, having seen plenty of financial meltdowns in the music business before. Danny put his father on a spending budget, negotiated with the IRS over his debt issues, and began marketing his father as a living American legend.
Getting Back on Track
Danny’s plan worked. He started introducing Tony to younger listeners, booking him at colleges in concerts and in smaller theaters. After more than a decade without a new album, Danny helped his father sign a new deal with Columbia Records in the mid-1980s. He also scheduled the singer for appearances on popular television shows, like The Simpsons and The Late Night with David Letterman.
By 1990, when his IRS debt was paid off, Danny said his father could scarcely believe it. “I said, ‘Your head is above water,’ and Tony said, ‘Really?’ Danny said in 1995. “I don’t think he really believes it to this day.”
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Danny was instrumental not only in keeping Tony’s legacy alive, but also attracting new generations of audiences, booking him to play big shows alongside popular bands of the day, like Nine Inch Nails and PJ Harvey.
And he helped realize Tony’s desire to be part of the MTV crowd in the 1990s. “He came into my office one time, and he said, ‘I was watching MTV,’” Danny told Today. “He goes, ‘I think I can do that.’ And then walked out. And I was like, ‘All right.’”
So, he arranged for his father to perform on the popular television series MTV Unplugged in 1994, and the appearance was such a hit that its resulting album went platinum and won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
“An Amazing Journey”
Recently, one of Tony’s most frequent collaborators was pop icon Lady Gaga. The pair won two Grammy awards together, one each for their albums Cheek to Cheek (2014) and Love for Sale (2021). The relationship speaks to Tony’s disregard for demographics among his audiences and Danny’s ability to manage his father’s career.
“I think it was a tremendous gift to each of them,” Tony’s wife Susan Benedetto said of his partnership with Lady Gaga. “I loved it and the fact that she could help him to really ride out his career in such a great way.”
Danny continued to serve as his father’s business manager up until his death, deciding how to invest his money, and marketing his image on “wherever it will sell,” including furniture, sheets, and towels, according to The New York Times.
As his final words to his son indicated, Tony harbored both a love for his son and a lasting appreciation for helping rescue him from financial woes and keep his music alive.
“He was just a man of the people. We experienced that as kids, and as we’re seeing with this amazing outpouring” of love following Tony’s death, Danny said. “It was an amazing journey.”
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