Alec Baldwin, The Muppets and more pay tribute to the late, great Tony Bennett
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on July 21, 2023
The entertainment world is mourning the loss of legendary singer Tony Bennett, who has died at age 96.
The tributes continue to roll in, and they’re heartfelt — or in some cases, from felt hearts, as Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog were among those who commented on the crooner’s passing.
Alec Baldwin posted to Instagram a lengthy video, calling Bennett “a sweet guy” and marveled, “He had that first act, then things got a little quiet for him, then he comes back, and the second act of his career is bigger than his first act.”
Baldwin continued, “There are other people of his strata … who were not loved by everybody — in some cases far from it — but everybody loved Tony.”
Baldwin, who impersonated Bennett a few times on Saturday Night Live, called doing so in one sketch in which Bennett appeared as a Tony Bennett impersonator “one of the greatest moments of my life.”
In a statement, Martin Scorsese called Bennett “a consummate artist, whose music quietly wove itself into the fabric of our lives.” He added, “We started to imagine that Tony would live forever…Nobody does. But the music? That’s another story.”
Josh Gad tweeted, “This one shouldn’t sting so much because any of us would take 96 years, but man is it hard to imagine a world without the great Tony Bennett.”
To a picture of him and the “wonderfully talented and truly one of a kind” Bennett, Kermit noted, “Performing the song ‘Firefly’ with him on Muppets Tonight and his album The Playground is one of the highlights of my career. Thanks for the music, Tony.”
Miss Piggy posted a photo of herself with Lady Gaga and the singer, saying Bennett was “as lovely as he was talented.” She added, “I’ll miss his wonderful voice, his marvelous smile, and his unforgettable charm.”
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