NBC Salutes Tony Bennett’s 90th Birthday With 2-Hour Special

Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Stevie Wonder and k.d. lang are among those who will perform with the pop singer, the network said Tuesday. Other stars taking part are Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble, Billy Joel, Elton John, Diana Krall and Rufus Wainwright.

Actors also will be on hand to salute Bennett, including Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta and Bruce Willis, with more participants for the two-hour program to be announced, NBC said.

“I turn 90 tomorrow and feel like I’m just getting started and look forward to each day,” Bennett said in a statement Tuesday. “I have loved performing for the public and sharing the music I love with the world.”

He’s thrilled that the special will include “so many wonderful artists that I have worked with and admire.”

Bennett’s 60-year career includes the albums I Left My Heart in San Francisco (1962), MTV Unplugged: Tony Bennett (1994), Duets: An American Classic (2006) and Duets II (2011). The NBC special “Tony Bennett: An American Classic,” which marked the singer’s 80th birthday in 2006, won multiple Emmy Awards.

“Tony Bennett Celebrates 90: The Best Is Yet to Come,” will air Dec. 20.