Fans of the legendary singer Tony Bennett are in shock right now after the 94 year-old star revealed that he has been battling Alzheimer’s disease since 2016.

Bennett revealed this in a lengthy profile for AARP Magazine. Dr. Gayatri Devi, who diagnosed Bennett in 2016, said that the singer has “cognitive issues, but multiple other areas of his brain are still resilient and functioning well.”

“He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder,” Devi said of the star.

The Mayo Clinic defines Alzheimer’s disease as “a progressive neurologic disorder that causes the brain to shrink (atrophy) and brain cells to die. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia — a continuous decline in thinking, behavioral and social skills that affects a person’s ability to function independently.”

After the coronavirus pandemic began last year, Bennett’s family let his assistant go to minimize his chances of getting COVID-19. Since then, Bennett’s wife Susan, 54, has taken over much of his care.

“He would ask me, ‘What is Alzheimer’s?’ I would explain, but he wouldn’t get it,” Susan said. “He’d tell me, ‘Susan, I feel fine.’ That’s all he could process — that physically he felt great. So, nothing changed in his life. Anything that did change, he wasn’t aware of.”

The family also said that Lady Gaga, who has collaborated with Bennett for years, was aware of his diagnosis and supportive of him going public with it.

“I wanted to check with her to make sure she was cool,” said Bennett’s son Danny.”Because she watches his back all the time. She was like, ‘Absolutely, it’s just another gift that he can give to the world.’”

Susan could not help but become emotional when she talked about what life is like for Bennett now.

“There’s a lot about him that I miss,” she said. “Because he’s not the old Tony anymore. But when he sings, he’s the old Tony.”

Bennett still has singing sessions multiple times a week, and his family and doctors believe that this is helping keep many of the worst Alzheimer’s symptoms at bay. Please join us in saying a prayer for Tony Bennett!