'Miss You Life Is a Beautiful Thing': Lady Gaga Pays Tribute to Tony Bennett a Year After His Death

Gaga shared a photo from the time when Bennett sketched her before using the art for the cover of their 2021 album

Lady Gaga marked one year since Tony Bennett’s death with a heartfelt message about her friend and music collaborator.

In an Instagram post from Saturday, July 20, the Cheek to Cheek singer, 38, shared a photo of herself with the jazz legend, who died July 21, 2023, at 96 after having Alzheimer's during the final years of his life.

"It’s been one year since Tony passed away,” Gaga captioned her tribute post. “This picture says it all. I’m so grateful for my continued friendship with his wife Susan — the legacy of jazz music he left — and for the community of jazz musicians I still work with who all knew and loved Tony. We’re gonna keep on swingin’. Miss you 🖤life is a beautiful thing 💋."

The black-and-white photo is from the time when a tuxedo-clad Bennett used a pencil to draw Gaga on a notebook to use for the cover of their 2021 collaborative album, Love for Sale.

In a 2021 video of the process, Gaga cried after he showed her his sketch.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Though he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2016, Bennett performed throughout his final years —launching a solo tour in 2019 and giving his last performances -

'Where Has the Time Gone?': Jess,...

with Lady Gaga in August 2021.

According to the late singer's doctors, his continued relationship with music, even after his diagnosis, was beneficial to his condition. 

"It kept him on his toes and also stimulated his brain in a significant way," said his neurologist, Gayatri Devi at the time. "He is doing so many things ... that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder."

After the “Rags to Riches” singer passed in 2023, Bennett received an outpouring of love from the music community — including Gaga, with whom he recorded two collaborative jazz albums at the end of his career.

“I will miss my friend forever,” wrote Gaga in a touching Instagram post following Bennett's death. “I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together.”

Another one of Bennett’s longtime collaborators, Billy Joel,similarly honored him following his death, writing on Instagram that he would “always be grateful for his outstanding contribution to the art of contemporary music.”

"His energy and enthusiasm for the material he was performing was infectious," the “Piano Man” musician wrote of Bennett, who dueted with Joel for an iconic rendition of “New York State of Mind” in 2001. "He was also one of the nicest human beings I’ve ever known."

Related Articles

Follow Us

Carlos Marqués-Marcet Orchestrates a Del,...