How Billy Joel's Foundation Supports Tony Bennett's Nonprofit and Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (Exclusive)
Billy Joel and his wife Alexis Roderick Joel are honoring the singer-songwriter's longtime friend Tony Bennett by committing to his causes.
At an April 10 dinner hosted by Exploring the Arts, a nonprofit founded in 1999 by Tony and his wife Susan Benedetto, Alexis, 42, tells PEOPLE that The Joel Foundation has supported the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts as a funding partner for 10 years.
Billy, 75, was a close friend and collaborator of the legendary crooner, who died in July 2023 at age 96 after a seven-year struggle with Alzheimer's disease. Inspired by Bennett's philanthropy work in the New York public school system, Billy and Alexis began funding music scholarships to a Long Island high school's summer program.
Related: Billy Joel Says He Will 'Always Be Grateful' for Tony Bennett: 'Nicest Human'
Alexis attended the Exploring the Arts fundraiser on behalf of the couple to honor Bennett, who made an effort to go to every benefit he could.
"If there was a charity and he could lend his name and his face, he would 100% be there. So it's important to us to be here for him tonight," she says.
Her husband — who duetted with Bennett on a rendition of "New York State of Mind" in 2001 — also shared memories with her of performing alongside the jazz singer.
"When Tony was there, Tony was singing the song the way Tony wanted to sing it, and everyone was just trying to keep up," she recalls Billy saying. "You just sat back, and you let Tony do Tony's thing."
Related: Tony Bennett's Widow Susan Remembers His 'Wonderful Soul' (and Love for Pasta) After His Death (Exclusive)
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Cheri Walsh, board chair of Exploring the Arts and the current director of The Joel Foundation, worked with Bennett and his wife for 13 years to build the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts and expand Exploring the Arts' reach to a national level.
"I know he's proud of us," Walsh tells PEOPLE of carrying on the Grammy winner's legacy. "For Tony, the arts make people better citizens, make them better people. ... We get to work with schools and students to expose them and give them opportunity in the arts."
Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Marisa Tomei, Steve Buscemi and Rosie Perez were among the A-listers who attended the dinner to pay tribute to Tony and raise funds for his causes. Each star took the stage to share memories of the late singer, and Tomei, Buscemi and Perez read an excerpt from his 2007 autobiography The Good Life.
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