Lady Gaga honors Tony Bennett in touching post after death: 'Will miss my friend forever'

Lady Gaga is honoring the late Tony Bennett, her partner in performance, after his death earlier this month.

"I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together," she began, captioning an Instagram post in which she shared a photo of herself and the iconic crooner hugging.

The "Poker Face" singer said with Bennett, she lived her life in a "time warp," referring to their musical outpourings. "Tony & I had this magical power," she said. "We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, & gave it all new life as a singing duo."

The legendary singer died on July 21 at 96. Publicist Sylvia Weiner confirmed Bennett’s death to USA TODAY, saying he died in his hometown of New York.

On his multiplatinum "Duets" albums, he collaborated with pop stars including Lady Gaga and others from Barbra Streisand and Paul McCartney to John Legend and Carrie Underwood. 

She was Bennett’s partner for the 2014 album "Cheek to Cheek" and 2021’s "Love for Sale." The beloved musician and the pop diva became an inescapable artistic couple, signaling Bennett’s enduring passion for his own work and for promoting others’, which never waned.

The two made "Love for Sale" together over two years from 2018 to 2020 and with some urgency – in early 2021 Bennett revealed he was battling Alzheimer's disease. He said in an interview with AARP that he was first diagnosed in 2016.

But their well-known combined musical prowess wasn't just a professional schtick, she said, noting their relationship was "very real," adding details on guidance Bennett gave her while they worked together.

"Sure he taught me about music, about showbiz life, but he also showed me how to keep my spirits high and my head screwed on straight," she said. "'Straight ahead,' he'd say. He was an optimist, he believed in quality work AND quality life."

"Though there were 5 decades between us, he was my friend," she said later in the post. "My real true friend. Our age difference didn’t matter-- in fact, it gave us each something neither of us had with most people. We were from two different stages in life entirely--inspired."

She commended Bennett's personality, saying "Tony was always grateful."

She noted Bennett "served in WWII, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and sang jazz with the greatest singers and players in the world."

Lady Gaga said she'd been mourning the loss of her friend for some time, referencing his Alzheimer's diagnosis. They had what she said was a "very long and powerful goodbye."

"Losing Tony to Alzheimer’s has been painful but it was also really beautiful. An era of memory loss is such a sacred time in a persons life," she said. "There's such a feeling of vulnerability and a desire to preserve dignity. All I wanted was for Tony to remember how much I loved him and how grateful I was to have him in my life. But, as that faded slowly I knew deep down he was sharing with me the most vulnerable moment in his life that he could--being willing to sing with me when his nature was changing so deeply. I'll never forget this experience."

While she shared her memories, Lady Gaga gave her followers a piece of advice: Don't forget or discount your elders.

"Don’t flinch when you feel sad, just keep going straight ahead, sadness is part of it," she said. "Take care of your elders and I promise you will learn something special. Maybe even magical. And pay attention to silence—some of my musical partner and I’s most meaningful exchanges were with no melody at all."

She finished her Bennett: "I love you Tony. Love, Lady."

Her sentiment on working with Bennett has endured.

In speaking about making their 2021 album as Bennet's health declined, she became emotional.

"It was a gift," the pop chameleon told USA TODAY at the time. "It's a gift that I will hold in my heart till my last breath. My time with Tony has changed me forever. Frank Sinatra said he was the best singer in the world, and I don't think Frank lied."

'The last of his kind':Tony Bennett remembered by Barack Obama, Viola Davis, Elton John

After the news broke of his death, celebrities and former musical collaborators took to social media to pay tribute to the singer. The long list of names paying respect to Bennett included former President Barack Obama, Elton John, Brooke Shields and George Takei, among others.

Contributing: Elysa Gardner, Kristin McGrath