Lady Gaga shares tear-jerking tribute to Tony Bennett on opening night of Vegas residency

Lady Gaga kicked off her return to the Jazz & Piano residency at the Dolby Live with an emotional note as she dedicated her very first performance, and one special song, to her late friend Tony Bennett. 

Tony was one of Lady Gaga’s longtime friends and collaborators, famously singing duets with the Pokerface hitmaker in her past Jazz & Piano residencies, tragically died in July at the age of 96. 

The 37-year-old ended the first of 12 shows emotionally saying: “I’ve waited this whole night to talk about my friend Tony. The truth is, I didn't know exactly what to say about Tony, because this whole show was for Tony. Everything. 

“The opening number, the middle numbers, all the diamonds, all the musical instruments, all the conducting, all the improvisation was in his memory.”

Her very outfit for the tribute echoed the dapper black and white suit Tony wore during their jazz duets together, albeit a far tighter fit. 

Lady Gaga, whose real name is Stefanie Germanotta, sparkled under the spotlights as her lapels and bow tie were covered in rhinestones and finished off the look with a dashing top hat. 

Ending the Las Vegas tribute on a more optimistic note, she admitted the late crooner would be “real mad at me for being sad”.

The Grammy winner also revealed that Tony’s widow, Susan Benedetto, was among the eager audience members as she got a bit choked by her emotions saying: “Susan, everybody in this audience loves you so much,” with her next words being drowned out by the round of cheers and applause echoing through the audience." 

She then launched into a heart-wrenching rendition of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me to the Moon, which she dedicated to Tony explaining that they used to sing it together and assured fans: “I'm gonna sing it now, even though he's gone. Because he'll never be gone…Susan, this is for you…I’ll never do it as well as Tony but I’ll try.”

The swooning tribute was captured by countless fans in the audience, with various angles and moments shared across social media. 

Showcasing her powerful vocals, the singer put down her microphone for the final part as she belted the phrase: “In other words, I love you” with those recording in the very back rows still picking up every note. 

Her residency is expected to continue until October 5th at Park MGM, where she will play a series of American classical jazz pieces intertwined with acoustic versions of her greatest hits. 

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