Lady Gaga Revealed Tony Bennett Sketched One of Her Tattoos 'So I Would Always Remember This Time Together'
In 2014, Lady Gaga had longtime collaborator Tony Bennett — who died at age 96 on July 21 — sketch a trumpet for her to get as a tattoo
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Lady Gaga will always have a permanent reminder of the late Tony Bennett.
In 2014, the pop star, 37, had the legendary "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" singer — who died at age 96 on Friday — sketch her one of her tattoos.
“I asked Tony to draw me a trumpet, and he sketched me Miles Davis’ trumpet," Gaga told PEOPLE that year. "Then I had it tattooed with his last name, Benedetto, underneath. Just so I would always remember this time together.”
Gaga and Bennett — who is remembered in this week's PEOPLE cover story, on newsstands Friday — first bonded in 2011 at a charity gala where she sang the standard “Orange Colored Sky.”
“Tony heard me sing it, and he asked to meet me,” Gaga said in 2014. “He said, ‘Do you want to do a jazz album together?’ I said, ‘Of course I do!’ We were fast friends.”
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Their 2014 jazz album, Cheek to Cheek, debuted at No. 1, making Bennett, at 88, the oldest artist to top the charts. Even after Bennett was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2016, he went on to release a second jazz album with Gaga, titled Love for Sale, in 2021.
In August of that year, Bennett played his final two sold-out shows with Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. “My time with Tony,” Gaga said at the time, “has changed me forever.”
Since his death, Bennett's family and friends have been speaking out in honor of the icon. His son and manager, D'Andrea "Danny" Bennett, told PEOPLE that his father "imbued the essence of the American dream."
"He taught us all that remarkable opportunities will reveal themselves and that anything is possible when you stick by your passion, believe in yourself and dedicate your life to quality," he said. "He was an artist, a humanitarian, and an inspiration to anyone who experienced his elegance and grace. He and I experienced an amazing journey together as father and son, and I’m simply proud and humble to have been a small part of his legacy."
Danny (Bennett's son with Patricia Beech) also shared a joint statement with Bennett's widow Susan Benedetto in which they thanked "all the fans, friends and colleagues of Tony’s who celebrated his life and humanity and shared their love of him and his musical legacy."
“From his first performances as a singing waiter in Queens to his last performances in 2021 at Radio City Music Hall, Tony delighted in performing the songs he loved and making people happy," they said. "And as sad as today has been for all of us we can find joy in Tony’s legacy forever.”
Following Bennett's death, Benedetto — who first met Bennett in the '90s and was with him for 20 years before they got married in 2007 — shared an exclusive photo of the star with PEOPLE from their honeymoon at Villa San Michele in Florence, Italy.
"Tony, naturally, loved visiting his ancestral homeland, and we spent many summers in Italy over the years, and it was always a special time for us to be together, just the two of us," she said. "Tony would paint all day, and then we would eat pasta, which was his favorite meal ... everyone knows Tony had heart, but he also was a wonderful soul."
"Benedetto, his family name, which I made my own when we married, means 'the blessed one,'" she continued. " I was most certainly blessed to have Tony in my life."
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Tony Bennett and Susan BenedettoIn a statement to PEOPLE, Robert De Niro remembered Bennett as "much more than a great singer."
"He was also a humanitarian, a tireless supporter of young talent, a passionate promoter of civil rights and just an all-around terrific person," he said. "I'm deeply saddened by his passing, and I will miss him very very much.”
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