You'll cry watching Lady Gaga escort Tony Bennett off stage at his final concert
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Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett might've performed their last-ever concert as an on-stage duo, but their emotional legacy will live on through the music they've made together — a decade-long partnership Gaga paid dutiful tribute to as she escorted the 95-year-old off stage for the last time.
"Tony, we're all so grateful to have witnessed your talent, your generosity, your creativity, your kindness, and your service through all the years," the House of Gucci star tells Bennett in CBS and EW's cohosted clip below, recorded in the final moments of their One Last Time concert special that aired Sunday night on the network.
After Bennett, whose family revealed his ongoing struggle with Alzheimer's disease earlier this year, thanked Gaga, she looked into his eyes for the show's emotional conclusion: "Mr. Bennett, it would be my honor to escort you off the stage," she said, and took his arm as they walked out of view to a thunderous standing ovation from the crowd at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall.
The two-night concert series — recorded in August as part of Bennett's birthday celebration — also included the pair performing individual numbers as well as duets from their second joint album, Love for Sale, which scored Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Record of the Year ("I Get a Kick Out of You") last week. Bennett finished the gig with a signature tune, belting "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" before leaving the stage with Gaga.
CBS Lady Gaga escorts Tony Bennett off stage at his final performance in 'One Last Time.'
In a 60 Minutes special tied to Gaga and Bennett's shows together, Bennett's wife, Susan Benedetto, spoke to Anderson Cooper about how the legend's diagnosis has impaired his short-term memory, but his singing talents and ability to recite lyrics remain intact. During the One Last Time broadcast on Sunday, Bennett introduced Gaga on stage by name for the first time in "a long time," according to the Oscar-winning pop icon, who got emotional when Bennett recognized her during the set.
"I had to keep it together because we had a sold-out show, and I had a job to do. But I'll tell you, when I walked out on that stage and he said, 'It's Lady Gaga,' my friend saw me, and it was very special," she told Cooper, later adding: "It's not a sad story. It's emotional. It's hard to watch somebody change. I think what's been beautiful about this and what's been challenging is to see how it affects him in some ways, but to see how it doesn't affect his talent. I think he really pushed through something to give the world the gift of knowing that things can change and you can still be magnificent."
One Last Time is now streaming on Paramount+. Watch EW's clip — cohosted with CBS — of Gaga escorting Bennett off stage at his final concert in the Instagram post above.
Hear more on all of this week's must-see picks in EW's What to Watch podcast, hosted by Gerrad Hall.
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