What was Tony Bennett's controversial 9/11 statement? Legendary crooner later had to apologize for his remark
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Legendary crooner Tony Bennett died on Friday, July 21 at the age of 96 in his hometown of New York City. He was battling Alzheimer's disease since 2016. The iconic singer amassed many accolades throughout his almost eight-decade-long career which included 20 Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Even though Bennett is considered to be one of the best musicians of all time, his life has been riddled with a fair share of controversies, including a time when the 'Rags to Riches' singer made a tendentious remark regarding the infamous 9/11 attack.
Tony Benett's controversial statement
According to JazzTimes, Bennett, while appearing on Howard Stern’s Sirius XM radio program in 2011, stated that America was behind the terrorist attack which claimed the lives of more than 3000 people. They discussed the planes flown into New York’s World Trade Centre by members of al Qaeda, when suddenly the late musician stated, “But who are the terrorists? Are we the terrorists or are they the terrorists? Two wrongs don’t make a right … They flew the plane in, but we caused it. Because we were bombing them and they told us to stop".
He further added that in 2005, then-President George W Bush “told me personally … ‘I think I made a mistake.'” Bennett said he believed that Bush confided in him because Bush “had a special liking to me.”
Bennett had to apologize for his comments
The legendary singer later apologized for the controversial comments he made in the radio interview. “There is simply no excuse for terrorism and the murder of the nearly 3,000 innocent victims of the 9/11 attacks on our country,” Bennett, who was 85 at that time said. "My life experiences-ranging from the Battle of the Bulge (in World War II) to marching with Martin Luther King-made me a lifelong humanist and pacifist and reinforced my belief that violence begets violence and that war is the lowest form of human behavior … I am sorry if my statements suggested anything other than an expression of my love for my country, my hope for humanity and my desire for peace throughout the world.”
Bennett's death was confirmed by his publicist Sylvia Weiner in a statement to the Associated Press. The singer was known for songs such as 'The Way You Look Tonight', 'Body and Soul' and (I Left My Heart) In San Francisco. He also collaborated with star performers from Lady Gaga to Aretha Franklin and Frank Sinatra, who called him "the best singer in the business".