Tony Bennett’s children go to war over his vast fortune

Tony Bennett’s daughters have accused their brother of mishandling the late singer’s assets in a lawsuit filed this week.

Tony Bennett’s daughters have accused their brother of mishandling the late singer’s assets in a lawsuit filed this week.

Antonia and Johanna Bennett claim D’Andrea “Danny” Bennett “obtained personal benefits for himself and his company” from different transactions, including the sale of memorabilia.

The daughters also allege Danny did not properly account for all the proceeds from the sale of Tony’s catalogue to Iconoclast earlier this year.

“It remains unclear what music assets (and other property) were or were not sold as part of the deal” because Antonia and Johanna “have not been provided with various details of the transaction despite repeated requests,” the filing stated.

The information Danny had provided to his sisters only raised “more questions,” they claimed.

“Although Danny and his counsel have provided piecemeal information and produced some documents to petitioners’ counsel, the information provided raises more questions than answers and fails to provide anything close to an accounting of Tony’s assets and financial affairs,” court docs said.

Bennett with his daughter Antonia at the 2012 Logie Awards. Picture: AAP

The American music legend died last year aged 96.

Danny, who was the singer’s manager and runs the family trust, did not respond Thursday to requests for comment on the lawsuit. Another brother, Daegal “Dae” Bennett, and Tony’s widow, Susan Benedetto, were also named in the lawsuit.

Antonia and Johanna are seeking “equitable relief.” Tony’s daughters are demanding Danny hand over a full accounting of the late singer’s trust along with receipts, disbursements, expenditures and tax returns.

Tony died at the age of 96 on July 21, 2023. He had an estimated fortune of $US200 million at the time of his death.

“Tony left us today but he was still singing the other day at his piano and his last song was, Because of You, his first #1 hit,” read a post on his Instagram account announcing his death. “Tony, because of you we have your songs in our heart forever.”

Bennett released two hit duet albums with Lady Gaga in his final years. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty

Tony’s goal for his career was to create “a hit catalogue rather than hit records.” He certainly accomplished that by releasing over 70 albums after launching his career in 1949. The singer’s breakthrough moment occurred in 1951 after he released Because of You, which would become Tony’s first No. 1 hit.

Some of his most popular releases include I Left My Heart in San Francisco, Love for Sale, Cheek to Cheek and Duets II.

His final album, Love for Sale, was recorded with his longtime friend and collaborator, Lady Gaga, and released in 2021. The album was actually the pair’s second album. Gaga recorded Cheek to Cheek with Tony in 2014.

With the release of his second collaboration with Gaga, Tony broke a Guinness World Record for the oldest person to release an album of new material. He was 95 years and 60 days old when the album was released on October 1, 2021.

This story originally appeared on Fox News and is republished here with permission.

Originally published as Tony Bennett’s children go to war over his vast fortune