Originally published on 6/25/25

Tony Bennett was a beloved singer who made history by becoming the first ever male pop singer to perform at Carnegie Hall. His career lasted decades, and now, two years after his death, Tony’s daughter Antonia Bennett is speaking out about both him and their relationship. In an exclusive conversation with Woman’s World, Antonia shares details on her father’s work ethic, friends and what it was really like to grow up in the spotlight. Read on for more. 

Antonia Bennett reflects on life with Tony Bennett

Antonia was born in 1974 when Tony was at the height of his musical career and the two began performing together right away. 

“I was his opening act for over 20 years, and we got to spend a lot of time together, which was really nice,” Antonia told Woman’s World. “We had a lot of shared interests, so we would go to a lot of museums together. We would listen to music together. Those were the things that we really bonded over, other than food.”

“I saw the world with him, because he went everywhere and he took me with him,” she continued. “I would sit backstage every night and watch him sing from the wings and study him, and I learned a lot from him. And a lot of what I learned wasn’t when he was trying to teach me something, but just from being around him and watching how he did things, because he had this incredible work ethic, was so present and never complained.” 

On growing up with a famous dad

Since Tony was such an influential man in the music industry, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Antonia was raised around some of the biggest names in entertainment. 

“Sammy Cahn [a songwriter] was my neighbor, and he’s a big inspiration to me,” Antonia said. “It seemed pretty normal, because I did grow up in a community where everybody had that. I grew up in Beverly Hills, and everybody was somebody’s kid. Then, when you spend time with those people, you find that they’re just like anybody else. So, except for the fact that they’re incredibly talented at their thing and at the top of their craft, they’re still people who seemed normal at the time.”

“I feel like entertainers get a bad rap for partying too much, and I know that some of that happens, but on the flip side of that, you have a group of very hard-working people in a field where it’s almost impossible to get ahead,” she continued. “Most of them have an exceptional work ethic, and they know how to show up, do their job and be responsible individuals who are present and there for those they love.” 

Coping with grief: Antonia Bennett on losing her father

Tony died in 2023 at age 96, and Antonia said that while it’s been hard losing her father, the healing process has begun. 

“It’s been almost two years and people are, like, ‘You’re probably over it,’ but you don’t get over it. Some stains don’t come out,” she said. “I have my daughter and my husband, and my daughter’s still very young. She’s nine, and still has a lot of energy, so maybe I don’t have a whole lot of time to sit with it in a way that’s good.” 

Speaking of her daughter, Antonia did share that Tony “loved” being a grandfather to both her daughter and her siblings’ children. In total, he had four children, including Antonia, and nine grandchildren. 

Antonia Bennett opens up about her own singing career 

Along with opening up shows for her father, Antonia has played her own sold-out concerts and released several albums, the most recent one being June’s Expressions. 

“I really feel this record is a great representation of where I was when I recorded it,” she shared. “It happened over a long period of time—I started before COVID, then COVID happened and nobody was getting together. When they finally were, I contracted long-COVID and it took a long time to recover from it. So it took three or four recording sessions, whereas I usually go in, make a record and I’m done. This record took a long time, because there were so many stops and starts. There were a lot of different issues, but now that it’s out, I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

“I put it together with my long-time collaborator, Christian Jacob, who’s a wonderful pianist, and he did all the arrangements on the record, and we picked the songs together. I’ve included many of my original songs, so it’s half originals and half American Songbook, which I think is also a significant part of who I am—I love those old songs. I also really love writing my own songs,” she continued. “So being able to do both felt like a natural progression. It’s a very small group with piano, bass, drums and guitar, and I just feel the intimacy of it and everything lends itself to kind of opening a little window or door to let people see who I am.” 

Even though some of the songs are covers, none of them are her father’s; however, she said that that doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen in the future. 

To listen to Antonia’s album, click here!

Link to original: https://www.womansworld.com/entertainment/music/tony-bennetts-daughter-antonia-bennett-opens-up-about-her-dad