Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett's Friendship Through the Years

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Meet

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 met in 2011 after Gaga performed a rendition of Nat King Cole's "Orange Colored Sky" at the Robin Hood Foundation Gala in New York City. Soon after, the talented duo collaborated on Bennett's Duets II album that same year, singing the classic, "The Lady Is a Tramp."

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

Tony Bennett asks Lady Gaga to Collaborate

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."

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Release Debut Album

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

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Perform Together Live

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

Tony Bennett on What He's Learned from Lady Gaga

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."

Lady Gaga on What She's Learned from Tony Bennett

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.'"

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Team Up for a Campaign

In December 2014, the pair joined forces for an H&M holiday campaign.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Perform on New Year's Eve

The crooner performed with Lady Gaga on New Year's Eve 2014 in Las Vegas, opening their Cheek to Cheek tour.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Embark on World Tour

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

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Meet the Royals

The duo met Prince Harry while at a charity concert in London in June 2015.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga win Grammy Award

In 2015, the pair won the Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album for Cheek to Cheek.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Earn Six Grammy Nominations

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.

Lady Gaga Celebrates Tony Bennett's 90th Birthday

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

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett Release Second Album Together

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.

Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga Perform 'One Last' Concert Together

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."

Lady Gaga Says Tony Bennett Is One of Her 'Favorite People on the Whole Planet'

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."

Tony Bennett Congratulates Lady Gaga on Her Oscar Nomination

Gaga received a nomination for her power ballad “Hold My Hand" featured on the Top Gun: Maverick soundtrack at the 95th Academy Awards ceremony. She was honored in the "Best Original Song" category.

Not only did the Academy recognize her for her work, but Bennett showed his love and support for her on Instagram. "Congratulations to the amazingly talented Lady Gaga on her 4th Oscar nomination!" he began.

"Today, #LadyGaga makes history as the first artist to receive three nominations in the 'Best Original Song' category at the #Oscars. So proud of you!" Bennett concluded.

Tony Bennett's Last Tribute to Lady Gaga

One week prior to Bennett's death at age 96 on July 21, he posted a sweet tribute to Gaga on Instagram. The video featured the pair singing their version of Bennett's "Night and Day" hit, originally off his Perfectly Frank album released in September 1992.

"Remembering the musical magic made in the studio with the remarkable Lady Gaga for our rendition of ‘Night and Day’," he captioned the video.

Lady Gaga Remembers Tony Bennett

Days after the legendary crooner's death in July 2023, Gaga posted a tribute to her friend on Instagram.

“I will miss my friend forever,” the singer wrote in an emotional Instagram post showing the pair hugging in a dressing room.

“I will miss singing with him, recording with him, talking with him, being on stage together," added Gaga.

"With Tony, I got to live my life in a time warp. Tony & I had this magical power," she continued. "We transported ourselves to another era, modernized the music together, & gave it all new life as a singing duo. But it wasn’t an act. Our relationship was very real.”