Frank Sinatra Jr., who carried on his famous father’s legacy with his own music career and whose kidnapping as a young man added a bizarre chapter to his father’s legendary life, died Wednesday. He was 72.
The younger Sinatra died unexpectedly of cardiac arrest while on tour in Daytona Beach, Florida, the Sinatra family said in a statement to The Associated Press.
The statement said the family mourns the untimely passing of their son, brother, father and uncle. No other details were provided.
His real name was Francis Wayne Sinatra — his father’s full name was Francis Albert Sinatra — but he went professionally by Frank Sinatra Jr.
Sinatra Jr. was the middle child of Sinatra and Nancy Barbato Sinatra, who was the elder Sinatra’s first wife and the mother of all three of his children.Sinatra Jr.’s older sister was Nancy Sinatra, who had a successful musical career of her own, and his younger sister was TV producer Tina Sinatra.
He was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1944, just as his father’s career was getting started, and he would watch his dad become one of the most famous singers of all time. But he usually watched from a distance, as Sinatra was constantly away on tours and making movies.
He did, however, sometimes get to see him from the wings of the stage, especially when his father performed for long stints in Las Vegas. Sinatra Jr. got to see many other storied performers too, like Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Count Basie.
“I saw all the top stars perform,” Sinatra Jr. told the AP in 2002. He said one of his favorite memories of his father was a show in the late 1960s at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
“He was sitting on a little stool, and he sang the Beatles song ‘Yesterday’ and ‘By the Time I Get to Phoenix’ and ‘Didn’t We,'” Sinatra Jr. said. “We were all crying and singing.”
Sinatra Jr. followed his father into music as a teenager, eventually working for the senior Sinatra as his musical director and conductor.
The elder Sinatra died of a heart attack May 14, 1998, at 82.
Sinatra Jr. was able to provide a link to his father’s music after his death, performing his songs and arrangements on tours and especially in Las Vegas.
“Since my father’s death, a lot of people have made it clear that they’re not ready to give up the music,” Sinatra Jr. said in the 2002 AP interview. “For me, it’s a big, fat gift. I get to sing with a big orchestra and get to sing orchestrations that will never be old.”
When Sinatra Jr. was 19 in 1963, three men kidnapped him at gunpoint from a Lake Tahoe hotel. He was returned safely after two days when his family paid $240,000 for his release.
Barry Keenan, a high school friend of Nancy Sinatra, was arrested with the other two suspects, Johnny Irwin and Joe Amsler, and convicted of conspiracy and kidnapping.
Keenan masterminded the kidnapping, prosecutors said. He was sentenced to life plus 75 years in prison, but was declared legally insane at the time of the crime, had his sentence reduced and was paroled in 1968 after serving 4 ½ years.
Sinatra Jr. had nearly two dozen TV and movie credits as an actor, including appearances on “The Love Boat” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.” most recently providing his own voice for two episodes of “Family Guy.”
Last year he performed the national anthem at Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees games in celebration of the centennial of his father’s birth.
He was scheduled to perform Thursday night in St. Petersburg, Florida, in a show featuring his father’s songbook. The venue’s website mentioned SinatraJr.’s death in canceling the show. He had other tour dates booked for May, September and October in the Midwest and East Coast.
Sinatra Jr. was married in 1998, but divorced in 2000. He is survived by a son, Michael.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
I never knew there was a Frank Jr. Who was Nancy Sinatra, she had the song, “These Boots Are Made For Walking”, and maybe others that i din’t know about.
Frank.
Nancy is his older sister; she had a good career, too. And her song, These Boots Were Made For Walking, was a pretty big hit, as I recall. It was featured in several movies (e.g. Full Metal Jacket).
Nancy Sinatra did an album with the songwriter/singer/producer, Lee Hazelwood, that is a gem. Check it out. It is on cd.
I bought that album in 1969 when I was stationed in Germany. what an album! Her sexy vocals and his deep country voice were magic. The song, “Phaedra” was full of orchestral sounds and great arranging. I wouldn’t doubt if she used her dad’s pals on the album.
I saw Frank Jr. at the El Dorado Casino about four years ago. It was out of character for the Hot August Nights venue of hot rods and Rocck and roll, but I had great seats close up. He was better than all the Sinatra impersonators I have seen, including New Jersey’s Steve Lippio. In 1965 for Christmas my mother bought me Franks Sr.’s album., “A Man and His Music”. A two record album of his best celebrating his 50th birthday. It was signed and all albums were numbered. Funny, they were all mono recordings by his label, Reprise Records. I began to listen to the music, rather than the Stones, Beatles and others of the day. I was a fan until the end.
It makes us Italians from Sicily proud when we are always associated with the lesser characters in life. Sinatra may have been accused by the press as a darling of the of those guys with funny nicknames, but he was not a mobster, he was only liked by them. Sinatra had a heart of platinum gold. He paid the debts, and they were very huge, of Sammy Davis Jr. when he died broke from gambling in the casinos. He left much of his fortune to children too. I would believe that Frank Jr. was no less a man than his father was.
I forgot To mention one of her biggest hits, sung with Her father, Frank Sinatra. The song, “Something, Stupid.” Thank You to all the Sinatra’s, for their gift of song.
On Nancy Sinatra, the big John Barry hit, “You only live Twice,” was released by her. Another great from the so many greats, we may never know, again.
He made numerous TV appearances; one that I got a kick out of was as himself playing one of the Poker player in “The Big Game”, run by Tony Soprano. I remember he offered up an opinion and Pauly Walnuts shut him down, addressing him as “Chairboy of the Board”. Hahahaaa He looked a lot like his old man. Rest in Peace, Chairboy. Go sit next to your Dad.
I enjoyed Frank Sinatra, Jr. as he had a good voice and sounded somewhat like his famous father when he sang. Frank Sinatra was the BEST! I liked him as an actor as well. Great talent! I miss his singing and the singing of his son, Frank Sinatra, Jr. The past is full of remarkable talent in the music and acting business.
There was a Mafia guy in Oklahoma who forewarned that JFK would be assassinated and that Sinatra, Jr. would be kidnapped to take some of the media attention away from JFK.
He was found dead in a swimming pool within a week.
He was also the cohost along with Joey Heatherton of the 1968 musical variety show, “The Golddiggers”. An awesome showman – just like his dad.