Anthony Dominick Benedetto, better known as Tony Bennett, died in July 2023. And he leaves behind a legacy of sensational music. Bennett received 20 Grammy Awards over the course of his lifetime. Aside from his professional career, he also made headlines for his personal life. So, who was Tony Bennett’s first ex-wife, Patricia Beech, and why did they divorce? Here’s what to know.
Who was Tony Bennett’s ex-wife, Patricia Beech?
Patricia Beech was Tony Bennett’s first wife. Before she met Bennett, she worked as a model while studying art at Ohio University. She later became a full-time mother.
Bennett first saw Beech while singing at Moe’s Main in Cleveland, Ohio. Though Beech had a date with her, Bennett claimed he felt “taken with her beauty” in his book, The Good Life.
“I met and fell in love with a young woman named Patricia Beech in July of 1951,” he wrote, according to AmoMama. “I was singing at Moe’s Main Street in Cleveland, Ohio, and one night she came in with a date. I could see her from the stage — she was sitting ringside — and I was taken with her beauty.”
Some accounts suggest Beech’s date eventually asked Bennett if he’d like to join them at the table, and Bennett accepted. Other accounts note Beech asked Bennett for an autograph. Either way, Bennett learned that Beech had wonderful taste in music — a factor that brought him quite close to her. Bennett then asked Beech for her phone number, and the next day, they went on their first day. The two didn’t waste much time, as they married in February 1952. Beech was just 19 years old.
Bennett notes Ray Muscarella, his manager, wasn’t happy about the marriage. Muscarella allegedly tried to sabotage the singer’s big day by staging 2,000 women mourning outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York. Some fans also grew upset that Bennett was now married. They tried to obstruct Beech from walking up the steps on her wedding day.
Why did Tony Bennett and Patricia Beech divorce?
Tony Bennett couldn’t make his relationship with wife Patricia Beech work. They divorced in 1971 due to marital strain brought on by Bennett touring.
Before they completely called it quits on their marriage, Bennett and Beech took space from each other when Bennett moved into a separate apartment in 1965. Bennett later moved back home with Beech after their relationship seemed to improve, but he also started talking to Sandra Grant, the woman who would later become his second wife. Beech caught wind that Grant was speaking to another woman, and she served Bennett divorce papers.
The couple had 2 kids
Tony Bennett and his first wife, Patricia Beech, had two children — D’Andrea “Danny” Bennett in 1954 and Daegal “Dae” Bennett in 1955. The famous singer later had two more children — Joanna Bennett in 1969 and Antonia Bennett in 1971. He had Joanna and Antonia with Sandra Grant.
Bennett wrote in his book about how his first child with Beech changed how they lived. “When the new baby came, we felt that Patricia needed to stay at home with the kid, especially since I was scheduled to start an extensive tour … and after the tour, Patricia and I decided it was time to get a house in the suburbs where the kids could spread out,” he wrote, according to AmoMama.
Ultimately, Bennett loved his children and loved becoming a father and grandfather. “Personally, my four children and seven grandchildren are what make me proud,” he told Forbes in 2016. “In the end, it’s sometimes the very personal things that happen to you as an entertainer that take on great meaning. I recall after the MTV Generation discovered me a father and son came backstage and the son told me that he and his Dad rarely agreed on anything but they both loved my music.”
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