Tony Christie’s granddaughter on how music helps with dementia

The granddaughter of singer Tony Christie says the pair’s shared love of music has helped the legendary performer in his ongoing struggle with dementia.

Deia Fitzgerald, 18, visits Christie and his wife Sue almost every day and often spends time with her grandfather listening to music through a smart speaker.

Christie, from Lichfield, revealed his diagnosis in 2023 and has since been working to raise awareness of the condition, as well as how music can help prompt memories.

Ms Fitzgerald said Christie regularly forgot about the smart speaker, which the family bought for him shortly after he was diagnosed.

“Grandad needs reminding that he has one and how he should use it,” she said.

“It’s amazing because when he does play music, it jogs his memory. He’ll sing along and start reminiscing about his family.”

Christie, whose real name is Anthony Fitzgerald, often professes his love for singers like Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Tony Bennett.

Ms Fitzgerald said she loved modern music but preferred songs from her grandfather’s era and recently got him back into vocal group The Ink Spots.

“That’s what his dad would listen to and then this sparks a conversation about him,” she said.

“He’ll also talk about his uncle who loved to sing and who grandad really admired. He said his family would always listen to music together and sing along.”

Christie became an ambassador of Music for Dementia after he was diagnosed, and he and Ms Fitzgerald recently created a dementia-friendly playlist for the charity’s online radio service m4dRADIO.com.

The 82-year-old Amarillo singer told BBC Radio Stoke his grandchildren would often listen to his songs.

“It’s surprising to me that my grandkids listen to it and they say ‘oh granddad this is great’,” he said. “They love it and I’m proud of it.”

Christie, who continues to tour and record music, said he tended to “ignore” his condition and that it had little to no effect on his performances.

“The amazing thing is, I am singing as well as ever,” he said. “I’m 82 years old and my voice has not changed, it’s still there.”

Ms Fitzgerald agreed and said he had a “powerful voice” which kept getting better with age.

“It’s heartwarming to see how people react to his music and how they still support him,” she said. “Grandad is really charismatic on stage but when he’s off stage, he’s quieter.

“He said to me once ‘when I’m on stage, I’m Tony Christie, and when I’m at home, I’m Anthony Fitzgerald.’ I see that.”