Tony Bennett recently teamed up with Lady Gaga for a pair of Radio City Music Hall shows, one on August 3 (his 95th birthday) and another on August 5. Following that, Bennett, who revealed earlier this year that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016, had plans for a handful of 2021 tour dates, but those were recently cancelled. Now, Bennett’s son/manager Danny has confirmed that his father has retired from touring.
Speaking with Variety, Danny said:
“There won’t be any additional concerts. This was a hard decision for us to make, as he is a capable performer. This is, however, doctors’ orders. His continued health is the most important part of this, and when we heard the doctors — when Tony’s wife, Susan heard them — she said, ‘Absolutely not.’ He’ll be doing other things, but not those upcoming shows. It’s not the singing aspect but, rather, the traveling. Look, he gets tired. The decision is being made that doing concerts now is just too much for him. 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 stand point… about human nature. Tony’s 95.”
Danny didn’t expand on what he meant by his father being able to do “other things,” but perhaps there will be further promotional appearances of some sort for his and Gaga’s upcoming album, Love For Sale.