The United States Senate has declared 3 August as Tony Bennett Day.
The Senate passed a resolution on Thursday declaring the late singer’s birthday, 3 August, to be known as Tony Bennett Day.
“You only come across a Tony Bennett once in a lifetime,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor, reports Deadline. “It didn’t matter if you were young or old or somewhere in between, it didn’t matter if you were a friend of a fan, just about everyone loved Tony – and Tony loved just about everyone.”
Schumer also cited Bennett’s service in World War II and his decision to march with Martin Luther King Jr. “at a time when the agents of most entertainers discouraged them from marching in these kinds of things because they might lose some fans. But Tony didn’t care, he believed in equality”.
The resolution was passed by unanimous consent.
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, a longtime friend of Bennett’s, introduced a similar resolution in the House of Representatives.
Addressing her proposed legislation, she wrote on Twitter/X, “Tony Bennett was a legendary artist and patriot. It was with great pride that I introduced a resolution in the House today to honor his life and legacy… This resolution appropriately honors Tony’s extraordinary legacy and celebrates his unsurpassed artistry and patriotic leadership.”
The singer died on 21 July at the age of 96 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.