The world, especially his adopted hometown of San Francisco, mourned the death of legendary singer Tony Bennett on Friday. His iconic association with the city was solidified in 1961 when he first performed his hit “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” at the Fairmont hotel.
The song, closely associated with “the city by the Bay”, continues to be played whenever the San Francisco Giants baseball team secures a home win. In honor of Bennett’s love for the city, his artistic legacy, and his life, Mayor London Breed ordered the flags at City Hall to be flown at half-mast on Friday.
“Tony Bennett provided us with a song, a spirit, and a magic that is intertwined with the history of San Francisco and who we are,” Breed said, recognizing the deep impact of Bennett’s music on the city.
San Francisco has cherished its bond with Bennett, a New York native, honoring him with a statue on Nob Hill and renaming the street in front of the Fairmont “Tony Bennett Way”. U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, recalled the renaming ceremony in 2018 and acknowledged Bennett’s iconic contribution to the city with his song, now considered one of its official anthems.
Bennett’s humanitarian causes and his military service during World War II, including his participation in the Battle of the Bulge and his role in liberating a concentration camp, were also remembered.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Bennett uplifted spirits by encouraging every resident to simultaneously sing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” for a “Sing out SF” event.
“Tony was a true New Yorker but he was also an adopted son of San Francisco,” said U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a former San Francisco mayor. She acknowledged the decades of love and support Bennett showed for San Francisco, concluding, “His heart will forever be in San Francisco and ours will forever be with him.”
Bennett passed away in New York at the age of 96. He is survived by his wife Susan, a San Francisco native, and his four children.