Additional Coverage:
- Tony Bennett barred his daughters from managing his money or legacy. It fueled an estate war that’s still raging. (businessinsider.com)
Tony Bennett’s Legacy: A Family Fortune Feud
The iconic singer Tony Bennett, known for leaving his heart in San Francisco, passed away in 2023 at 96. However, his passing has ignited a contentious family dispute over his estate, a battle now playing out in Manhattan courts.
Bennett, even while performing with Lady Gaga in sold-out concerts in late 2016, finalized his will and trust. His widow, Susan Crow Bennett, was set to inherit $5 million, with the remainder divided equally among his four children. The management of the estate, however, was far from equally divided.
Court documents reveal that Bennett’s sons, Danny and Daegal (from his first marriage), were granted control over his financial affairs, while his daughters, Johanna and Antonia (from his second marriage), were explicitly excluded. The 2016 trust agreement, signed in the same year Bennett received an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, stipulated that his daughters would have no say in the management of his estate.
Johanna and Antonia are now questioning the whereabouts of their father’s fortune. They claim to have discovered, only after his death, that the estate is worth a mere $12 million.
Their lawyers argue that Bennett earned at least $100,000 per appearance in the 15 years leading up to his final concert in 2022, with significantly higher fees for major events like his Radio City Music Hall shows with Lady Gaga. They estimate his earnings from appearances alone to be around $100 million, yet the estate’s value, after the widow’s inheritance, dwindles to under $7 million.
The daughters are demanding a full accounting from Danny Bennett, their father’s longtime manager and the sole trustee of the family trust. They are also seeking records related to the 2022 sale of Bennett’s paintings, royalties, and memorabilia. They allege Danny paid himself over $2 million in commission for this sale while providing them with a “modest distribution” of $245,000 each.
A separate lawsuit filed by the sisters seeks Danny’s removal as trustee due to alleged “unlawful conduct,” along with an unspecified cash award. While this lawsuit also names their younger brother Daegal and Susan Crow Bennett as defendants, it doesn’t accuse them of any wrongdoing.
Danny Bennett maintains that his actions benefited the family trust and that his sisters’ estimations of their father’s income and net worth are inflated. He insists on having provided ample accounting. His attorney dismisses the sisters’ allegations as “specious” and emphasizes the focus should be on celebrating Bennett’s upcoming centennial in 2026.
The trust agreement explicitly prohibits Bennett’s daughters and their descendants from serving as trustees, citing “good and sufficient reasons” without further explanation. Legal experts note that such arrangements, while potentially causing family friction, are not uncommon in high-wealth families to streamline decision-making.
While Danny Bennett was under no legal obligation to disclose the trust’s management details to his siblings, the lack of transparency appears to have fueled the current discord. The legal battles are still in their early stages, promising a protracted and potentially bitter fight over the legacy of a beloved American icon.