Remembering Tony Bennett's Legacy With People Who Knew And Loved Him

Tony Bennett, the eminent and timeless musician known for his warm persona and jazz-influenced style, died on Friday. He was 96 and two weeks shy of this birthday.

Bennett's devotion to classic American songs brought him admirers from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga, which whom he won a Grammy for their album "Love for Sale."

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 08: Singers Lady Gaga (L) and Tony Bennett, winners of Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for 'Cheek to Cheek,' pose in the press room during The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards at the STAPLES Center on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

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Our newsroom's AirTalk show talked on Friday to three guests about Bennett's legacy and their unique relationships with the star whose voice and song choices remained relevant all the way until the end of his life.

Over the years, Bennett collaborated with a wide range of artists including Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Willie Nelson, Amy Winehouse, and many more.

Considered the last of the great saloon singers of the mid-20th century, Bennett often said his lifelong ambition was to create “a hit catalog rather than hit records.” He released more than 70 albums, bringing him 19 competitive Grammys — all but two after he reached his 60s — and enjoyed deep and lasting affection from fans and fellow artists.

Bennett was praised often by his peers, but never more meaningfully than by what Sinatra said in a 1965 Life magazine interview: “For my money, Tony Bennett is the best singer in the business. He excites me when I watch him. He moves me. He’s the singer who gets across what the composer has in mind, and probably a little more.”

What Bennett was like off the stage

Clayton Cameron, Bennett’s drummer of 13 years, said it was moments offstage that really captured his essence. During long European tours, Bennett "would always travel with his watercolors" and would "find a hillside somewhere and do a landscape watercolor."

"He was a teacher of art," Cameron said.

Will Friedwald, a music journalist and co-author of “The Good Life: The Autobiography Of Tony Bennett, said Bennett was the same person onstage as he was offstage.

"He was exactly what you saw on screen—incredible warmth," said Friedwald.

About Bennett's artistry

Michael Feinstein is an ambassador for the Great American Songbook, a non-profit organization dedicated to celebrating the standards of pop, jazz, Broadway and Hollywood. He also is principal conductor for the Pasadena Pops and a five-time Grammy nominee.

He said Bennett "cared so much about the songs, the lyrics, the melodies. It was fascinating listening to him talk about songs and songwriters because he had a reverence for them."

Bennett was known as a gifted storyteller. His song I Left My Heart in San Francisco, earned him two Grammy awards and was his signature song — forever tied to his legacy.

"Even though he was very jazz-influenced," Feinstein said, "he stuck to the page most of the time. It was about telling the story and interpreting the lyric."

MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 29: US Singers Tony Bennett (L) and Patti LaBelle perform 29 January 1995 during the haltime show of Super Bowl XXIX in Miami. The San Francisco 49ers are leading the San Diego Chargers 42-18 in the third quarter. (COLOR KEY: LaBelle's dress red) AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read DOUG COLLIER/AFP via Getty Images)

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"Tony thought profoundly and intensely about everything he sang," said Friedwald.

Friedwald emphasized Bennett's ability to absorb lyrics and music even though he'd never been to music school.

"Some people are charming," Friedwald said, "but he was beyond charming."

Listen to the full conversation here.