Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett's Friendship Through the Years

The unlikely dynamic duo — whose work on the Cole Porter tribute album, Love for Sale, is nominated for six Grammy awards in 2022 — are the perfect partners 

01 of 16

An Unlikely Pair

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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There's nothing quite as delightful as an unlikely Hollywood friendship, and perhaps the greatest one of all is the one between Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. The pop star and jazz icon first collaborated on Bennett's Duets II album in 2011, singing the classic, "The Lady Is a Tramp."

Here, the pair pose together at the 2012 Grammy Awards.

02 of 16

The Great Collaboration

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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The pair met at a benefit concert, with Bennett recounting to Parade in 2014, "It was the first time I heard Lady perform, and I could not believe the audience's reaction."

Bennett recounted, "The first thing I said was, 'Let's do an album together.' And she said, 'Okay.' That quick. I just love what she did on [their album Cheek to Cheek]. She's up there with Ella Fitzgerald, who was the greatest singer in the world."

03 of 16

Cheek to Cheek

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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The pair's debut album of standards, Cheek to Cheek, was released in 2014, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

04 of 16

Performing Together

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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They took their album performance live, including songs like "Anything Goes," "I Won't Dance," and "Cheek to Cheek."

05 of 16

The Best Pals

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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Bennett said of the most important thing he has learned from Lady Gaga, "Nobody has communicated with the public more than Lady Gaga. Ever. I trust the audience, and I'm very impressed. As far as they're concerned, she's part of their family. The only guy who ever did that was Bing Crosby, years ago."

06 of 16

Gaga Learns from Bennett

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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Meanwhile, Gaga said that Bennett taught her "that it's important to stay true to yourself." She added, "When I came into this with Tony, he didn't say, 'You've got to take off all the crazy outfits and just sing.' He said, 'Be yourself.'"

07 of 16

The Campaign Trail

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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In December 2014, the pair joined forces for an H&M holiday campaign.

08 of 16

New Year's Eve

Tony Bennett And Lady Gaga Headline New Year's Eve At The Cosmopolitan Of Las Vegas
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The crooner performed with Lady Gaga on New Year's Eve 2014 in Las Vegas, opening their Cheek to Cheektour.

09 of 16

Taking the Show on the Road

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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The stars dazzled on their Cheek to Cheektour, taking their standards album on the road everywhere from L.A. to Italy.

10 of 16

Meeting with Royalty

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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The duo met Prince Harry while at a charity concert in London in June 2015.

11 of 16

What a Duo

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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In 2015, the pair won the Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album for Cheek to Cheek.

12 of 16

Grammy Nominations

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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It wouldn't be the last time that the pair were nominated for Grammys: in November 2021, the 36-year-old pop star and 95-year-old legendary singer were nominated for six Grammy Awards for work on their joint album, Love For Sale.

13 of 16

Celebrating Tony's 90th Birthday

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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Gaga was on hand to celebrate her pal's 90th birthday in August 2016 in N.Y.C.

14 of 16

Another Album

Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

The pair reunited for a second album in 2018, a Cole Porter tribute album called Love for Sale. It was released in 2021.

"I think it was the next day, after the record released and had gone No. 1, he said, 'I wanna make this Cole Porter record with you,' and I said I would do it, and then guess what?" Gaga said in a trailer for Love for Sale. "We did it!"

"She's got so much talent that the minute we're together, something very good happens between the two of us," Bennett adds.

15 of 16

One Last Time Together

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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In August 2021, the pair reunited for a concert at N.Y.C.'s Radio City Music Hall. The concert, titled One Last Time, came several months after Bennett's family revealed that he lives with Alzheimer's disease.

In a memorable moment from the concert, Bennett remembered his old friend, Lady Gaga, as she came out onto the stage. Of the emotional moment, Gaga shared on 60 Minutes, "That's the first time that Tony said my name in a long time. I had to keep it together because we had a sold-out show and I have a job to do. But I'll tell you when I walked out on that stage and he said, 'It's Lady Gaga,' my friend saw me. It was very special."

16 of 16

Gaga's Favorite Person on 'the Whole Planet'

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
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Lady Gaga said after Grammy nominations were announced, "Tony is one of my most favorite people on the whole planet and I love him with all my heart. I love his family with all my heart, I love his wife, Susan, with all my heart. I can't tell you how much I learned from him and what it's like to sing with a legend for so many years."

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