Tony Bennett reveals he has Alzheimer's

The singer's career has spanned 70 years

Tony Bennett has revealed that he has been living with Alzheimer's Disease for the last four years.

The crooner, who is 94, made the announcement in AARP Magazine, which focuses on issues affecting people over the age of 50.

The article conveys how the condition has affected Bennett's memory and ability to recognise everyday objects.

His wife Susan told the magazine that the star is "not always sure where he is or what is happening around him".

However, Bennett has so far been spared many of the worst characteristics of the disease - including the disorientation that can cause patients to wander from home and episodes of terror, rage or depression.

In an Instagram post directing fans to the article, Bennett wrote: "Life is a gift - even with Alzheimer's. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support, and @AARP The Magazine for telling my story."

Bennett has been a star since 1951, scoring hits with songs like I Left My Heart In San Francisco and The Shadow Of Your Smile.

Some of his biggest successes have come in the last decade, including the chart-topping duets album with Lady Gaga, Cheek to Cheek, which won a Grammy in 2015.

The article says that the singers have recently completed a follow-up, which is due for release this year. It was recorded over two years, with Bennett sometimes "lost and bewildered" during the sessions.

However, singing often helps to subdue the symptoms of Alzheimer's and Bennett continues to rehearse twice a week with his longtime pianist Lee Musiker.

The singer's neurologist Gayatri Devi, told AARP that, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bennett's touring schedule "kept him on his toes and also stimulated his brain in a significant way".

"Singing is everything to him. Everything," added his wife. "It has saved his life many times."

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett have recently completed a follow-up to their award-winning duets album

However, the decimation of the live music industry has "been a real blow from a cognitive perspective," said Devi.

"[Bennett's] memory, prior to the pandemic, was so much better. And he's not alone. So many of my patients are negatively affected by the isolation, the inability to do the things that matter to them," she said. "For someone like Tony Bennett, the big high he gets from performing was very important."

However, Devi stressed that Bennett was still "doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do.

"He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder," she added.

What is Alzheimer's?

Alzheimer's disease is a condition which affects the brain, and is by far the most common cause of dementia.

Memory loss is the most common feature of dementia, particularly the struggle to remember recent events.

Other symptoms can include changes to behaviour, mood and personality, becoming lost in familiar places or being unable to find the right word in a conversation.

Both Alzheimer's disease and dementia can affect people of all different ages, but usually affect much older people.

According to the Alzheimer's Society, last year there were about 850,000 people in the UK with dementia.

One in 14 people over 65 will develop dementia, and the condition affects one in six people over 80. The number of people with dementia is increasing because people are living longer.

• More information is available from The Alzheimer's Society.