Tony Bennett Gives Ellington Painting To Smithsonian

WASHINGTON -- The National Portrait Gallery is adding a new painting to its halls on the 110th anniversary of jazz great Duke Ellington's birth.

Singer Tony Bennett is donating a watercolor he made of Ellington that was inspired by their long friendship.

The painting depicts Ellington with a bouquet of pink roses in the background. The jazz musician made a habit of sending Bennett a dozen roses every time Ellington composed a new song.

The 82-year-old Bennett says he has been a lifelong painter. He says painting always keeps him in a "creative zone" if he gets tired of singing.

This is the third painting he has donated to the Smithsonian, following a portrait of Ella Fitzgerald and a painting of Central Park.