Tony Bennett's Children's Legal Fight Overshadows His Personal Struggles

Legal drama in between Tony Bennett's children continues, the eldest son exposes his dark past to support the controversy.

Disagreement in the family of the music icon's daughters last year Antonia and Johanna Bennettaccused his older brothers, Danny Bennettabuse of custody rights before and after his father's death.

The women claimed their sister was dealing with “many conflicting fiduciary capacities”, prompting them to demand a detailed accounting of Tony Bennett's estate. But the eldest Bennett child refused to comply with their wishes, claiming that he had no right to look after the expenses of the estate.

According to court documents, Danny recently responded to a request from his siblings to spend their late father's estate. He declined their request, stressing that he was instrumental in Tony's successful career, especially his unforgettable comeback.

Danny claimed Tony was indebted to him for turning his life around “after he hit rock bottom in the late 1970s, including a fatal cocaine overdose and a financial disaster that led to the IRS seizing his Los Angeles home.”

The RPM Productions founder served as his father's manager from the 1970s until his retirement in 2021, a position Tony entrusted to him in 1995 when he won a comeback Grammy Award. In contactclaims:

“Tony considered Danny one of his greatest assets. Besides naming Danny guardianTony also stopped Danny to be his personal manager and his business manager.”

In addition to helping Tony turn his career around, Danny noted that he stepped up after the jazz icon was unable to tour and secured a lucrative contract on his behalf. He signed a deal to sell the singer's memorabilia, a stream of music royalties and his likeness and advertising rights.

Known as the “iconoclast deal,” the deal included a purchase price and revenue streams from various projects for a limited period. Danny added that he was “completely transparent” with his sisters about the details of the deal, including the proceeds.

Regarding Antonia and Johanna's request for an accounting of the estate, Danny argued that they had no legal right to look over the finances before and after their father's death. Reflecting his position, the lawyer noted:

“It doesn't make sense to go to the expense and effort of accounting for a property that's only been open for a year.”

Antonia and Johanna did not dispute Danny's role in reshaping their late father's image, but called him out for his “self-control” before and after Tony's death. They claimed he provided “conflicting financial statements” about the property.

Their lawsuit continued, alleging “unexplained expenses totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more).” In addition, there were “significant distributions, gifts and other payments that Danny made directly to himself or for his own benefit while wearing every possible fiduciary hat.”

Antonia and Johanna claimed that Danny's actions before Tony's death were “out of the ordinary and raise serious concerns about the Postmortem”.

According to their complaint, she “served in many conflicting fiduciary capacities for an extended period of time prior to Tony's death and took substantial funds from the Family Trust (for herself and her children).”

Tony's daughters noted that Danny had publicly disclosed his diminished capacity before his death. They argued that at this stage their father failed to act as joint guardian, making his brother the sole trustee of the Family Trust without supervision.

Antonia and Johanna pointed out that this was wrong because their father created a trust for his four children and intended to treat them equally. “It is vital that all beneficiaries of the Family Trust are able to investigate Danny's conduct to ensure that Tony's wishes are carried out.”

The Bennett children include a second son, Dae, who is not involved in the legal battle. The accounting drama began in June 2024, a year after Tony's death in July 2023. Explosion Danny initially stated that he was trying to delay the hearing.

Last year, Danny asked the court to extend the accounting drama because his lawyer had just been retained and was unfamiliar with the case. The legal representative also noted that she and her partner have upcoming vacations and were unable to respond to the Bennet sisters' request.

However, Antonia and Johanna refuse Danny's request, insisting that they must keep a detailed account of their late father's estate. His brothers declined the counteroffer, noting that they would agree to an extension if they provided the required financial details within 45 days.

The sisters' fight over the accounting of the estate began because of significant differences in Tony's finances. They believed their father had amassed more than $100 million over the past 15 years, but his estate was worth just $7 million after his death — a sum they argued deserved clarification.

Will Tony Bennett's children be able to resolve their differences amicably?