Veteran US singer Tony Bennett has retired from performing at the age of 95, his son and manager has said.
It brings the curtain down on a glittering seven-decade career for the crooner, who revealed earlier this year he has Alzheimer’s disease.
Bennett performed two sold-out shows with Lady Gaga at New York’s Radio City Music Hall last week.
His son Danny said the “hard decision” to cancel the remaining 2021 tour dates had been made on “doctors’ orders”.
He told Variety: “His continued health is the most important part of this.” He added that Bennett’s wife Susan supported her husband stepping away from the stage.
Danny, who has been his father’s manager for more than 40 years, explained that while Bennett’s singing voice remained strong, the pressures of touring meant he “gets tired”.
“Doing concerts now is just too much for him,” he said. “We don’t want him to fall on stage, for instance – something as simple as that.
“We’re not worried about him being able to sing. We are worried, from a physical standpoint… about human nature. Tony’s 95.”
Bennett has been a star since 1951, scoring hits with songs including I Left My Heart In San Francisco and The Shadow Of Your Smile. He has won 18 Grammys and sold more than 50 million records.
Some of his biggest successes have come in the last decade, including the chart-topping duets album with Lady Gaga, Cheek To Cheek, which won a Grammy in 2015.
The pair recently recorded a follow-up Love For Sale, which is due for release in October. Last week’s final live performances were held in support of the forthcoming album.
