SAG-AFTRA Statement on the Death of Tony Bennett

SAG-AFTRA celebrates the long life and enduring career of master pop vocalist Tony Bennett, who died today at the age of 96. 

Bennett was an exceptional artist and a true class act, whose professional career spanned eight decades. He may be best known for his enduring hit I Left My Heart in San Francisco, but he was also a talented painter, a World War II combat veteran and he held a deep belief in equality and justice. While he continued performing until age 95, one lifetime was scarcely enough time to manifest the creativity that lived within him. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.

Bennett, who joined AFTRA in 1951 and SAG in 1958, won 20 Grammy Awards over the years, including a lifetime achievement award, and he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. 

In 2007, his name was added to the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame to honor his dedication to humanitarian causes and the Civil Rights Movement.

He also supported his union, SAG-AFTRA. In recent years, he was among the luminaries at a March 30, 2016, event honoring The Ghetto Film School and its director. It was part of a “Call to Arts” collaboration between the Obama Administration and SAG-AFTRA to promote volunteerism. 

Bennett also participated in the 2010 AFTRA Media and Entertainment Excellence Awards, where he presented an award to Columbian/Latin rock star Juanes.

Photo by Tom Beetz, Wikimedia Commons

About SAG-AFTRA

SAG-AFTRA represents approximately 160,000 actors, announcers, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, news writers, news editors, program hosts, puppeteers, recording artists, singers, stunt performers, voiceover artists and other entertainment and media professionals. SAG-AFTRA members are the faces and voices that entertain and inform America and the world. A proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO, SAG-AFTRA has national offices in Los Angeles and New York and local offices nationwide representing members working together to secure the strongest protections for entertainment and media artists into the 21st century and beyond. Visit SAG-AFTRA online at SAGAFTRA.org.