Legendary singer Tony Bennett has shared details about his years-long struggle with Alzheimer's, a disease he's been battling in secret since 2016.
The 94-year-old artist and his wife Susan Bennett shared his diagnosis in a new interview with AARP, in which it is revealed that Bennett is experiencing "increasingly rarer moments of clarity and awareness."
Bennett's treatment plan involves a team of neurologists, who have prescribed semi-weekly 90-minute singing exercises with his longtime collaborator, pianist Lee Musiker. While Bennett's speaking functions have been significantly diminished as a consequence of the disease, AARP explained that his singing appointments are helping him manage his symptoms.
"The powerful feelings released by music can connect listeners to their deep emotional memories, even those inaccessible to the conscious mind," the magazine explained.
"He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder," Bennett's doctor, Gayatri Devi, told AARP. Devi explained that Bennet has some cognitive issues, but that "multiple other areas" of his brain are functioning well.
"Singing is everything to him," Susan Bennett said. "Everything. It has saved his life many times. Many times. Through divorces and things. If he ever stops singing, that's when we'll know…"
Read the full interview here.
The 94-year-old artist and his wife Susan Bennett shared his diagnosis in a new interview with AARP, in which it is revealed that Bennett is experiencing "increasingly rarer moments of clarity and awareness."
Bennett's treatment plan involves a team of neurologists, who have prescribed semi-weekly 90-minute singing exercises with his longtime collaborator, pianist Lee Musiker. While Bennett's speaking functions have been significantly diminished as a consequence of the disease, AARP explained that his singing appointments are helping him manage his symptoms.
"The powerful feelings released by music can connect listeners to their deep emotional memories, even those inaccessible to the conscious mind," the magazine explained.
"He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder," Bennett's doctor, Gayatri Devi, told AARP. Devi explained that Bennet has some cognitive issues, but that "multiple other areas" of his brain are functioning well.
"Singing is everything to him," Susan Bennett said. "Everything. It has saved his life many times. Many times. Through divorces and things. If he ever stops singing, that's when we'll know…"
Read the full interview here.