Gaga on IG: "I will miss my friend forever"

[BabylonSaints 5,193]

https://www.instagram.com/p/CvWSTtoMJNs/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==

Spoiler

I will miss my friend forever. I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together. With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony & I had this magical power. We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, & gave it all new life as a singing duo. But it wasnt an act. Our relationship was very real. 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. "Straight ahead," he'd say. He was an optimist, he believed in quality work AND quality life. Plus, there was the gratitude...Tony was always grateful. He served in WWII, marched with Martin Luther King Jr., and sang jazz with the greatest singers and players in the world.

I've been grieving the loss of Tony for a long time. We had a very long and powerful goodbye.
Though there were 5 decades between us, he was my friend. 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. 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. 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. I'll never forget Tony Bennett. If I could say anything to the world about this I would say don’t discount your elders, don’t leave them behind when things change. Don’t flinch when you feel sad, just keep going straight ahead, sadness is part of it. 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.

I love you Tony. Love, Lady

 

[NashvilleGAGA 467]

Such a gorgeous tribute. So much wisdom in her words ❤️

[Modern Ecstasy2 2,202]

That was so beautifully written. Especially the part about not leaving our elders behind. That made me tear up 

[GagasEnigma4 945]

It was a beautiful tribute to Tony. I was crying reading it. I knew she would speak when she was ready

[Meat 18,962]

I don’t know what to say. My eyes teared up while reading it 

[Starmie25 18,606]

I work in an aged care (food side) of it and she's absolutely spot on about "not leaving our elders behind". That hit home.

Such a beautiful post Gaga. Also Tony served in WWII? Wow that's insane.

[BabylonSaints 5,193]

Damn, I'm almost crying reading this.  We love you so much, Gaga

[REALITY 76,361]

Beautiful post  I hope she's doing ok, Tony definitely meant a lot to her.

[emili0 1,483]

There really is something to be said about making sure we communicate with our elders - I’m glad she shared that lesson, since it often goes unspoken. Beautifully communicated 

[CoolTrainerTerry 1,402]

That was a complete gut punch. 

[Anderson123 38,294]

She always has the right words. Love her so much. 

[julz 7,010]

25 minutes ago, Modern Ecstasy2 said:

That was so beautifully written. Especially the part about not leaving our elders behind. That made me tear up 

Yes truly. I wanted her to say that..and she did. Respect and dont leave your elders behind. And also about appreciating silence... Gaga really did mature a lot with Tony. 

Im glad that we learned to appreciate the legend Mr. Tony Bennett...through Gaga.

[TheLadyInRed 1,612]

Such a beautiful and moving message. I hope she’s fine and that she receives any needed support from her friends and family in these difficult times. It’s so hard to lose a friend that meant so much to you. We love you Gaga  

[Ivy 12,516]

It's beautiful their friendship and how much they appreciated and love each other  

[A Fried Egg 8,847]

Living in a world that’s increasingly materialistic and vain, I hope this piece will inspire many people to change their way of approaching life. Don’t fear aging, don’t fear reality, be kind, appreciate life and those around you because they won’t be here forever.