August 3rd will be known as “Tony Bennett Day,” to honor the late Italian-American singer, who was a true New Yorker, New York senior senator and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer announced.
Bennett passed away two weeks shy of his 97th birthday this past week. There was no specific cause, but Bennett had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.
Schumer said that he called former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who agreed to sponsor the resolution he brought forward to the House of Representatives. Its passage would mean Senate and the House will honor Bennett by declaring his upcoming birthday as “Tony Bennett Day” across the United States.
The resolution, drafted by Schumer, acknowledges all of Bennett’s endeavors in life, ranging from his seven-decade-long career, humanitarian work, and military service (as an infantryman in WWII, he helped liberate a concentration camp).
“Here is a man who sang about his heart while his soul was always here in New York,” said Schumer. “There is something about those of us lucky enough to be born in New York: whatever we do, wherever we go, we give it our all. The King of Croon is beloved from coast-to-coast, his reach spanned genres and generations—but he is, and he will always be, a New Yorker who did so much good.”
