Tony Bennett remains healthy and challenging amid his Alzheimer's disease battle, but his wife revealed the tragic part of his life as a patient.
Over five years since Bennett was first diagnosed with the progressive disease, his wife broke her silence and shared how the crooner deals with his health.
In a new interview on "60 Minutes," Susan Benedetto expressed how thankful and lucky they are to be recognized by the 95-year-old singer despite the existence of the disease.
However, there is one thing Bennett does not know yet -he remains unaware that he has Alzheimer's disease.
According to Hopkins Medicine, a patient who becomes unaware of their memory loss predicts the existence of the dreaded disease. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) also conducted a study about how patients are clueless about their memory problems.
Still, Bennett makes everyone proud of him as he can still perform a song with his pianist without lyrics or sheet music in front of him.
"Tony likes to say he's in the business of making people feel good, and he still is," said Benedetto," the wife went on.
Does Tony Bennett Remember Who He Is?
Bennett's doctor, Dr. Gaytari Devi, said in the same broadcast that the singer knows he is Tony Bennett. He also noted how the patient continues to behave like Tony Bennett despite forgetting a lot of things.
Per Dr. Devi, a person has an area in their brain that is dedicated to giving its host the emotion by providing the real purpose in his life.
"I mean, that's the other thing about music that sets it apart, is that it is a part of the brain that's very emotional. Music is housed in different parts of the brain, including parts of the brain that deal with emotion, and therefore, it's easy to be moved by it when you hear it," he explained.
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AARP Magazine first reported Bennett's diagnosis. Even after learning about the disease, Bennett continued to perform with other artists not until his doctor suggested retiring from music already.
According to his son, Danny, his father can still sing well. However, the potential risks whenever the patriarch is on the road would cause massive problems.
Bennett's Alzheimer's journey began when he first told his wife in 2015 about not remembering the names of musicians he worked with on stage.
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