LAS VEGAS, NV – JANUARY 20: Lady Gaga (L) performs with Tony Bennett during her ‘JAZZ & PIANO’ … [+]
Less than a week after the passing of legendary crooner Tony Bennett, a new project centered around him has officially been announced. A new documentary, titled The Lady and the Legend, is set to commemorate not only Bennett’s illustrious career but also his decade-long musical journey with Lady Gaga. The film, expected to arrive on Paramount+ sometime in September, is being described as an intimate and unique portrayal of their extraordinary collaboration and a realistic view into Bennett’s last days.
The Lady and the Legend was announced by Tony Bennett’s son and manager, Danny Bennett. He revealed the project in an exclusive interview with Variety, reflecting on his father’s legacy following his recent passing at the age of 96. Danny, who worked closely with his father for decades and helped turn his career around, shared his excitement about the documentary, emphasizing that it would provide a candid glimpse into the final days of Bennett’s life, during which he battled Alzheimer’s disease as he continued to work.
The upcoming documentary will delve into the friendship and working relationship that blossomed between Bennett and Gaga over the course of a decade. Their collaboration might have seemed unlikely at first, as the pop superstar and the standards singer joined forces on Bennett’s album Duets II for a rendition of “The Lady Is a Tramp.” That track turned out to be the beginning of a very special and unusual musical journey.
Their chemistry was undeniable, leading them back to the studio for a full-length collection titled Cheek to Cheek. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and to top it off, it won the duo a Grammy for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. The success of Cheek to Cheek propelled them both back into the limelight and solidified their status as one of the most dynamic duos in the music industry.
After the triumph of Cheek to Cheek, Bennett and Gaga returned back to solo projects but they would eventually reunite for yet another collaboration, which would become Bennett’s final project. Their second joint album, Love for Sale, was released in September 2021 and once again achieved critical acclaim, peaking inside the top 10 on the Billboard 200 and earning them multiple Grammy nominations, including Record and Album of the Year.
With the new documentary, fans can expect to witness an entirely different side of Bennett and Gaga’s relationship. According to Danny, The Lady and the Legend goes beyond their sparkling stage presence and produced music videos and captures the unfiltered moments, where the effects of Alzheimer’s were apparent. He remarked, “You’re seeing backstage, where people are like, ‘He has no idea where he is.'”
Gaga herself apparently had qualms about the documentary, and according to Danny, at one point even asked, “Is this the right thing to do?” The film is moving forward though, and it will seemingly showcase that one of the greatest who ever lived and worked in music is still, at the end of the day, human.