Frank Sinatra, Jr., the son of Frank Sinatra and his first wife, Nancy Barbato Sinatra, died on Wednesday in Daytona Beach, FL after suffering a heart attack. He was 72.
Sinatra was in Daytona Beach for a performance. His sister, Nancy Sinatra, posted on Facebook:
The Sinatra family mourn the untimely passing of their son, brother, father, uncle, Frank Sinatra, Jr. of cardiac arrest while on tour in Daytona, Florida.
January 10, 1944 – March 16, 2016
Sleep warm, Frankie…
Sinatra was born on January 10, 1944 in Jersey City, NJ, the middle of three children that included older sister Nancy and younger sister Tina. Having the elder Sinatra as a father gave him exposure to many of the best musicians of the day and he spent some time learning the music business from Duke Ellington along with singing in local clubs.
On December 8, 1963, when Sinatra was 19 and singing with Tommy Dorsey’s band, he was kidnapped from Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. His father paid a ransom of $240,000 two days later and Frank, Jr. was released.
In 1965, at the age of 21, Frank, Jr. released his first album, Young Love For Sale. Over the next forty years, he would record five more LPs.
Sinatra became a favorite guest on TV variety shows and hosted his own summer replacement show for The Dean Martin Show in 1969. He also occasionally acted, appearing in the Sammy Davis, Jr. film A Man Called Adam (1966) and on TV’s Adam 12 and two episodes of Family Guy.
In 1988, Frank, Jr. took over as his father’s musical director and conductor and, the following year, appeared on the Was (Not Was) album What Up, Dog? singing the track Wedding Vows in Vegas.
Frank Sinatra, Jr. was married once, to Cynthia McMurry, from 1998 to 2000. He has one son.
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