Lady Gaga pays tearful tribute to Tony Bennett in poignant Grammys performance

4 April 2022, 10:39 | Updated: 14 April 2022, 11:51

Lady Gaga pays touching tribute to Tony Bennett at the Grammys

By Naomi Bartram

Lady Gaga paid an emotional tribute to absent Tony Bennett at the Grammy Awards 2022 in Las Vegas.

Emotional Lady Gaga paid tribute to her good friend Tony Bennett at the Grammys last night.

The pop star was left in tears after she took to the stage to perform the title track from her album Love For Sale with jazz singer Tony, 95.

While Bennett introduced Gaga via a pre-recorded video, he was unable to attend the ceremony due to his health.

The stunning performance then included a video montage of the two stars together working together over the years.

Lady Gaga paid tribute to Tony Bennett at the Grammys 2020. Picture: Getty Images

After the big band arrangement, Gaga, 36, dedicated the song to her friend, adding: "We love you Tony, we miss you."

Love On Sale went on to win the Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album on the night.

It also won the prize for best engineered album, non-classical, and was nominated for the album of the year prize.

This comes after Tony announced he was retiring from performing last year after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.

In a statement to Variety ahead of the ceremony, Bennett’s son Danny Bennett said: “Although the producers had invited both Tony and Gaga to perform in Sunday’s Grammys broadcast, it is unfortunate that due to his continuing struggle with Alzheimer’s, he was not able to accept.

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett have been friends for ten years. Picture: Alamy

“There is no doubt that she will offer an impeccable performance from Love for Sale, which is Tony’s final album. He will be cheering her on as he watches from his home in New York City.”

His wife Susan revealed he had been diagnosed after he began showing symptoms in 2015.

Over the course of his long career, Bennett has won a total of 20 Grammy awards, the first being back in 1963.

Tony and Lady Gaga struck up an unexpected friendship after they first met all the way back in 2011 when she performed Nat King Cole at the Robin Hood Foundation gala in New York City.

Tony Bennett has won 20 Grammys. Picture: Alamy

Following the rendition, Tony asked Gaga to sing a duet with him on his next album Duets II, and the pair recorded The Lady Is a Tramp.

Gaga and Tony even performed at the final inaugural ball of President Obama's second inauguration in 2013 before going on to release a Jazz album together called Cheek to Cheek.

They went on to record a second album together in New York, with Gaga tell AARP: “The fact that Tony sees me as a natural-born jazz singer is still something that I haven't gotten over.”