NEW YORK, July 21. /TASS/. American singer Tony Bennett died on Friday, the Associated Press (AP) has reported. He was 96 and just two weeks short of his 97th birthday, the agency added.

According to the news agency, the singer passed away in New York.

There was no specific cause of death, but it is known that the singer had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease since 2016. The agency called Bennett "the last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century."

Bennett (real name Anthony Dominick Benedetto) recorded 70 albums in his career, including "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" and "The Art of Excellence," selling over 50 million records worldwide. In 2014, he released a collaborative album with American pop singer Lady Gaga entitled "Cheek to Cheek." In 2021, their second album "Love for Sale" was released, which became the last of the singer's career. Bennett is the recipient of 19 competitive Grammy Awards (1963-2022) and a Special Grammy Award for Lifetime Achievement (2001).