Tony Bennett, the iconic pop and jazz singer from New York, has passed away at the age of 96.

Bennett was renowned for his timeless songs, including "The Way You Look Tonight," "Body and Soul," and "(I Left My Heart) In San Francisco." Throughout his illustrious career, he collaborated with celebrated performers such as Lady Gaga, Aretha Franklin, and Frank Sinatra, who famously dubbed him "the best singer in the business."

Over eight decades, the crooner sold millions of records and earned an impressive 20 Grammy Awards, including a prestigious lifetime achievement award.

His publicist, Sylvia Weiner, confirmed his death in a statement to the Associated Press. Bennett passed away in his hometown of New York, and though no specific cause of death was mentioned, he had been battling Alzheimer's disease since 2016.

Singer Paul Young was among those paying tribute on Twitter, writing: "Ahhh, RIP Tony Bennett, truly one of the greats. An incredible singer live, saw him many times.

Star Trek actor George Takei posted: "Tony Bennett was the last of his kind, a master of the American songbook.

"He may have left his Heart in San Francisco, but he won all of our hearts, from Sinatra to Lady Gaga. Be at peace, and sing to us now from the stars, Tony."

Musician Nile Rogers added: "My most heartfelt condolences go out to Tony Bennett's family and friends."

caption,Bennett (pictured in 2003) won 19 competitive Grammys as well as an additional lifetime achievement award

Born Anthony Dominick Benedetto to a family of Italian immigrants, Bennett faced hardship at a young age when his father passed away, leaving the family in poverty.

As a teenager, he worked as a singing waiter before pursuing studies in music and painting at New York's School of Industrial Art.

In 1944, during World War Two, he was drafted into the US army and served in France and Germany. He candidly described the experience as "legalized murder" in a 2013 interview with The Guardian.

Upon his return home, Bennett's singing career flourished, initially under the name Joe Bari. He achieved a breakthrough in 1951 with the song "Because of You," which became his first number one hit.

Bennett quickly became a teenage sensation, releasing his debut album in 1952. His music continued to top charts in the US during every subsequent decade of his life, with hits such as "Blue Velvet" and "Rags to Riches."

Throughout his career, the legendary singer garnered a reputation for creating timeless swinging pop hits and later, show tunes, and big band numbers.

IMAGE SOURCE, REUTERS: Image caption, Bennet pictured performing with singer KD Lang in New York in 2002

His 1962 version of a song form the previous decade, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, sent his star into an even bigger orbit, winning him two Grammys.

Bennett was also a supporter of the civil rights movement and took part in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches while also refusing to perform in apartheid-era South Africa.

However, with the arrival of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones into the US, as the decade rolled on his relevance faded.

Personal problems followed, including the end of two marriages and drug addiction.

He performed through the pain, recording two records with pianist Bill Evans.

After hiring his son Danny to become his manager and reuniting with his pianist and musical director Ralph Sharon, his fortunes began to change.

He enjoyed a revival in the 1980s and 1990s, when Grammy awards flooded in for the star, then in his sixties.

His 1986 comeback album, The Art of Excellence, got the ball rolling again for the star who had returned to New York from Las Vegas.

caption,Bennett was interviews on BBC Breakfast during a visit to the UK in 2010

He followed it with the chart-topping Perfectly Frank, a tribute to his musical hero Sinatra, before 1994's MTV Unplugged saw Bennett win the Grammy for album of the year.

In an interview with the Independent in 2008, Bennett said he had not been surprised by his renewed success.

"Good music is good music," he said. "I'm not concerned with whether someone who listens to me is old or young. In fact, in many ways, I'm not interested in the young at all.

"I'm interested in age. People learn to live properly when they get of an age, you know? The late Duke Ellington once said to me that he was really offended by the word category.

"Music has no category; it's either good or it isn't, and I sing good songs, great songs, written by the best songwriters. It's that kind of quality that makes them last. Trust me, people will be singing these songs forever."

Bennett remained perpetually cool enough to win over new legions of fans.

He collaborated with a host of younger artists - who adored him - including Amy Winehouse, Queen Latifah and Diana Krall; as well as the likes of Paul McCartney, Elton John and George Michael on the 2006 album, Duets: An American Classic.

in 2014, his joint album with Lady Gaga, Cheek to Cheek, made him the oldest living act to reach the top the US charts, breaking his own previous record.

Shortly after his 90th birthday he told the New York Times: "I could have retired 16 years ago, but I just love what I'm doing."

In 2021, five years after his 2016 Alzheimer's diagosis, Bennett performed his final shows alongside Gaga, with whom, for younger fans, he became closely associated.

He posted on social media at the time: "Life is a gift - even with Alzheimer's."

Away from music, as a keen painter, Bennett had his work displayed in galleries.

He also founded the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in his hometown Queens.

He is survived by four children: Danny, Dae, Joanna and Antonia, as well as his wife Susan Crow.