The Senate passed a resolution declaring August 3 as Tony Bennett Day, honoring the legendary singer who died last week at age 96.
The date is Bennett’s birthday. “You only come across a Tony Bennett once in a lifetime,” Senate Majority Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor. “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, as well as his decision to march with Martin Luther King Jr.
in Selma, Alabama in 1965, “at a time when the agents of most entertainers discouraged them from marching in these kinds of things because the might lose some fans.
But Tony didn’t care, he believed in equality.” The resolution to honor Bennett passed by unanimous consent. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a longtime friend of Bennett’s, introduced a similar resolution in the House. “This resolution appropriately honors Tony’s extraordinary legacy and celebrates his unsurpassed artistry and patriotic leadership,” Pelosi said in a statement.
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