Tony Bennett, 85, tops US album chart for first time

Cover for the Duets II album of Tony Bennett PHOTO taken from Tony Bennett Facebook page

LOS ANGELES—Tony Bennett made music history Wednesday when he topped the Billboard album chart for the first time in his 60-year career — and became the oldest living act ever to do so.

Bennett, 85, a 15-time Grammy winner who plays London and Copenhagen next week, reached the summit with “Duets II” featuring collaborations with 17 other stars including Lady Gaga, Michael Buble and the late Amy Winehouse.

“Duets II” sold 179,000 copies in its first week, Billboard said, despite Bennett’s remarks on the Howard Stern radio show that US policy was to blame for the 9/11 attacks. He later issued an apology.

The native New Yorker who famously sang “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” has sold more than 50 million records in a career that goes back to 1951 when he spent 10 weeks atop the Billboard singles chart with “Because of You.”