Legendary American singer Bennett dies at 96; suffered from Alzheimer's

Tony Bennett, the New York singer who made I Left My Heart in San Francisco his signature number in a career that spanned seven decades and was built on American popular songs, jazz standards and show tunes, has died. He was 96.
 

His death in New York on Friday was reported by the Associated Press, which cited publicist Sylvia Weiner. He had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
 

Bennett vaulted to fame in the early 1950s with a string of emotional hits, including The Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Because of You and Blue Velvet.
 

By his mid-20s Bennett was drawing hordes of screaming teenagers to Broadway’s Paramount Theater, singing tunes such as Rags to Riches and Sing You Sinners, and gaining new fans with his crossover version of Cold, Cold Heart, a Hank Williams country favorite. Bennett said he reached a career “pinnacle” in his 30s when Frank Sinatra described him as “the best singer in the business.”