Bitter Courtroom War over Tony Bennett’s Estate Exposes Crooner's 'Near-Fatal Cocaine Overdose' and Secret Financial Ruin
Secrets of Tony Bennett's life have come to light.
Jan. 20 2025, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
A family battle among Tony Bennett's children has really gotten under the skin of the singer's son, Danny, who is being sued by his two sisters for allegedly mismanaging their father’s funds and their family trust.
And as the legal battle drags on, RadarOnline.com can reveal some of Tony's closely guarded secrets have come to light.
Tony died in 2023, leaving his son Danny in charge as his trustee.
Antonia and Johanna Bennett sued their brother last June, a year after their father’s passing in July 2023 at the age of 96, demanding to know where the Grammy winning singer's money has gone.
They claim Danny "failed to account for transactions and the assets" from the trust, and pocketed more than $2million after selling Bennett's personal property, memorabilia and "all of Tony's name and likeness" to another company.
Danny's attorney revealed the son helped the iconic singer overcome an addiction to cocaine.
However, in defending his client, Danny's lawyer detailed that Tony directed everything he owned be transferred into a trust run by his client.
The attorney also revealed the level of Tony's love for his son – especially in helping battle his alcohol and drug demons.
In court papers, he wrote: "Tony considered Danny to be one of his greatest assets. In addition to naming Danny co-trustee, Tony also retained Danny to be his personal manager and his business manager."
Danny was also credited with saving his including a near-fatal cocaine overdose and financial disaster that caused the IRS to seize his home in Los Angeles."
The singer experienced a career renaissance, which he credited to Danny.
Tony Bennett established the trust in 1994, and after amending it in 2008, he and Danny became the sole trustees.
The sisters claim Danny engaged in a "lack of transparency" and acted in his own best interest, unsupervised.
According to the lawsuit, they argue: "[Tony] expressed a clear intention and direction in his estate plans that all four of his children be treated equally."
The hitmaker would continue to perform well into his later years.
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Tony was actively singing right until his death. But while he lived the good life, an insider told RadarOnline.com, "He's paid for it in spades." They also added that the performer's life had been "anything but smooth sailing."
His first marriage to Patricia collapsed among her charges of adultery, and he started living with aspiring actress Sandy Grant, whom he wed in 1971, soon after his divorce from Patricia was finalized.
He also got hooked on drugs.
In his memoir, Life Is A Gift, Tony reflected: "Cocaine flowed as freely as champagne. First it seemed the hip thing to do. But as time went on, it got harder and harder to refuse it when it was offered."
As the '70s came to an end, Tony found himself with no manager, no recording contract, scant performances outside of Las Vegas and a second failing marriage. He was also devastated by the death of his beloved mom, Ann, in 1977.
It all culminated two years later when he overdosed on cocaine and passed out in a bathtub. Luckily, Sandy came home just in time to rush him to a hospital.
"It was a torturous period of suffering," Tony said about those dark days.
