Susan Benedetto is mourning the loss of her husband, Tony Bennett, following his death. The widow detailed some of her last days with the singer and revealed what his last words were, in addition to the very last song he sang hailing from his decades-long career.
Speaking with Hoda Kotb on TODAY, Benedetto revealed that Bennett’s touching last words were “that he loved me,” she said.
“He would wake up every day and still say that. He woke up happy every day. Even if he had had a bad day or night, he didn’t remember it,” Benedetto continued. “That was the only blessing. He woke up happy. And he’s just like, ‘Susan. You’re the best thing that ever happened to me.’ And he would say that to me all the time.”
Benedetto and Bennett tied the knot in 2007, more than 20 years after their first meeting at one of his concerts in 1985. She also revealed that he sang one of his classic tracks before passing away.
“He sang ‘Because of You.’ We were getting him up to exercise, and so it was easy to just latch onto the piano,” she said. “And I said, ‘Ton, why don’t you get up and you can sing?’ You know, any excuse to just get him up. I said, ‘Why don’t you sing?’ He’s like, ‘What do you want to hear?’ I said, ‘How about singing “Because of You”?’ So he sang ‘Because of You.’” (“Because of You” appeared on Bennett’s 1952 debut album.)
The “I Wanna Be Around” singer passed away on July 21 at 96 following a years-long battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
Watch Benedetto’s interview on TODAY in the video above.
