Patricia Beech is known for being the first wife of legendary singer, Tony Bennett.
Patricia was born Patricia Anne Beech to her father, Harold Beech in Mansfield, Ohio. She completed her schooling at Hedges Grade School (now Hedges Elementary School) before joining John Simpson Junior High School. After graduating high school, she moved to Cleveland to study art.
Let’s get to know more about her!
First Wife of Tony Bennett
Patricia Beech was married to Tony Bennet. They walked down the aisle on February 12, 1951, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City.
Source: Yahoo
The duo first met in Cleveland after Bennett’s nightclub performance. She met him to ask for his autograph but they fell in love and started dating. Beech was 19 when she met her former partner.
After several months of dating, they decided to marry and her father was the first one to announce their wedding. During their big day, around 2,000 female fans dressed in black gathered outside their wedding venue in mock mourning.
Divorced after 17 Years
Tony and Patricia Beech Bennett’s marriage was more like a long-distance relationship as the singer had to be on the road so often. This might have been the reason why they decided to separate after 17 years.
The long separations when I left home to play the clubs killed both marriages. But I had to go on the road. I was in vaudeville, and a vaudevillian goes where the work is. But for a marriage to work, both parties have to be there.
Tony on how his work ended his marriage.
The duo started living separately in 1964 but finalized their divorce only in 1971. Beech filed for divorce at Chancery Division of Superior Court on September 25, 1969, on grounds of adultery and desertion.
The documents suggested Bennett had willfully deserted her on August 19, 1964. It also revealed Tony’s relationship with fellow actress Sandra Grant, with whom he was expecting a baby. Beech received an undisclosed amount as alimony and they were officially separated in 1971.
Mother of Two Kids
While they were together, Patricia Beech and Tony Bennett welcomed two kids, both boys. Their elder son was Danny Andrea (D’Andrea) Bennett born in 1954. Similarly, their younger son was Daegal Angel (D’Angel or Dae) Bennett, born in 1955.
Source: YouTube
D’Andrea was 17 and D’Angel was 16 when their parents separated. Though they separated, Tony was always there for his kids. In one of his interviews, Bennett revealed how divorce breaks things apart, and how he was trying to mend things and be a good father to his kids.
Divorce smashes something. And it affects everyone – kids as well as grown-ups. One of my few regrets is that I wasn’t with my children as much as I would have liked. But I did stay involved with them. I truly tried to be a good father and some of my most wonderful moments were with them.
Tony on how divorce destroys relationships.
During an interview, his elder son, D’Andrea, revealed how his dad was always around for him and his brother.
Prior to my folks’ split, I remember a wonderful childhood, waking up to hear Count Basie and Duke Ellington jamming in our basement. Even after the divorce, I remember my father as always being around. I was proud of him.
D’Andrea says he’s proud of his father.
When D’Andrea was around 25, he took over as his father’s manager. Soon after, he created a campaign to bring his dad’s music within the reach of young audiences. That worked charms for the musician as he was resigned by Columbia Records and his album sales skyrocketed.
Danny and Daegal have two halfsiblings, Joanna (born 1970) and Antonia Bennett (born 1974) from their dad’s second marriage.
What is Patricia Doing Now?
To tell you the truth, we are unsure of Patricia Beech’s whereabouts. If our math is right, she would be 89 years old as of this writing. Since there is no news about her, it might be possible for her to have passed away already.
Source: Time Magazine
She used to work as a model to get through art school in Cleveland. (Yes, that’s when she met her ex-husband.) After separation, she used to live in her $150 thousand home in Englewood with her two kids.
Source: Cheatsheet
As for Tony Bennett, he walked down the aisle with Sandra Grant on December 29, 1971, in a private wedding ceremony. But, their marriage also ended abruptly in 1979 (official divorce in 2007). He married for the third time with his current wife, Susan Marion Crow on June 21, 2007, and is living with her to date.
Source: Instagram
The legendary singer, 94, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He showed signs of the disease in 2015 when he told his wife he couldn’t remember the names of musicians when on stage. In 2016, Gayatri Devi MD diagnosed him with Alzheimer’s.
Though he has a cognitive disorder, his neurologist has encouraged him to continue on his musical journey. His last public performance before COVID was on March 11, 2020. He made his last performance, One Last Time with Lady Gaga on November 28, 2021, at Radio City Music Hall.
He is currently under the care of his current partner, Susan.
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