Tony Bennett’s Wife Susan Fondly Recalls Singer’s ‘Wonderful Soul’ – Billboard

Tony Bennett‘s widow, Susan Benedetto, share some of her favorite memories of the “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” singer with People magazine just days after the beloved pop singer died at age 96 following a long battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

Susan, who married Bennett in 2007 after 20 years with the singer, shared one of her treasured photos with the magazine in which Bennett stared out of a window in Italy during their 2007 honeymoon.

“This is one of my favorite personal photos of Tony taken during our honeymoon in 2007 in Villa San Michele, in Florence,” Benedetto wrote alongside the snap in which the always dapper crooner and 20-time Grammy winner wore a dark blue suit with matching sky blue tie. “Tony, naturally, loved visiting his ancestral homeland, and we spent many summers in Italy over the years, and it was always a special time for us to be together, just the two of us.”

Susan opened up about some of her late husband’s favorite things, telling People, “Tony would paint all day, and then we would eat pasta, which was his favorite meal. I love how this photo captured his thoughtful demeanor….everyone knows Tony had heart, but he also was a wonderful soul.” She also shared that Bennett’s birth name, Benedetto, translates into “the blessed one,” adding that “I was most certainly blessed to have Tony in my life.”

Many of Bennett’s musical peers also paid tribute to the incomparable singer following his passing. “Rest in peace, Tony. You were the epitome of a gentleman with a God given one-of-a-kind voice. It was truly a great honor of my career and of my life to get to share the stage with you,” wrote Carrie Underwood on Instagram. The country star appeared on Bennett’s 2011 Billboard 200-topping Duets II album.

Oscar and Grammy winner Elton John also weighed in on Instagram, writing, “Without doubt the classiest singer, man, and performer you will ever see. He’s irreplaceable. I loved and adored him.”