Lady Gaga celebrates what would have been Tony Bennett's 97th birthday
Lady Gaga is honoring Tony Bennett on what would have been his 97th birthday.
The "Born This Way" singer, 37, took to Instagram on Thursday with a slideshow of photos of her wearing an all-black look, including a dress, beret, sunglasses and handbag, to mark what is now officially "Tony Bennett Day."
"A day for smiling," Gaga wrote in the caption of her post. "But I'll be celebrating you a lot more than once a year."
Gaga then got sentimental about her musical collaborator and friend, who died July 21 after a yearslong battle with Alzheimer's disease.
"I’ll celebrate you every time I'm on stage singing jazz music, every time I'm with your family, every time I walk down the streets of New York I'll look around and remember all you did for this city and the whole world," she concluded.
The U.S. Senate recently passed a resolution declaring Aug. 3 Tony Bennett Day, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York recognizing Bennett for being not only being "an American icon" and 'one of the most beloved singers of our time," but also "a lifelong champion of civil rights" and a World War II veteran.
Gaga, who released two albums with Bennett, previously reacted to his death in a heartfelt tribute.
"I will miss my friend forever," she wrote in an Instagram post Sunday. "I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together."
In her tribute, Gaga also encouraged her followers to not "discount your elders, don't leave them behind when things change."
"Take care of your elders and I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magical," she wrote. "And pay attention to silence -- some of my musical partner and I's most meaningful exchanges were with no melody at all."
