Main  |  The Singer  |  The Actor  |  The Man

Sinatra: The man

He lived life his way

• Romance, Sinatra-style
• Rebound
• The Camelot connection
• The swinger and a dad
• Endless philanthropic interests

(CNN) -- Frank Sinatra did it his way and the legions of reporters and writers covered the man their way.

His personal life was a top attraction to the media, who were drawn to his legendary image as a "connected" carouser, a lover, and a fighter.

And in reports that followed his every move, the nation soon learned that for Sinatra, love and marriage didn't exactly go together like a horse and carriage.

Romance, Sinatra-style

They learned about the relationship with his first wife, Nancy Barbato. She was his sweetheart from his teen years, the one who knew him when he dreamed of a career as a singer.

(All videos silent)
Sinatra at the Dunes
	2.3MB/24 sec./240x180 1.2MB/24 sec./160x120 QuickTime movie
Sinatra with Jerry Lewis and Danny Thomas
	1.5MB/22 sec./240x180 799K/22 sec./160x120 QuickTime movie
Sinatra on parade
	1.5MB/18 sec./240x180 805K/18 sec./160x120 QuickTime movie
Sinatra performs with the "Rat Pack" at the Sands
	1.6MB/23 sec./240x180 840K/23 sec./160x120 QuickTime movie

They married in 1939 as Sinatra's career reached the countdown stages before lift-off. Their first child, Nancy Sandra, was born in the following year, and they had two more children by the end of the 1940s, Franklin Wayne (Frank Jr.) in 1944, and Tina in 1948.

But the fairytale marriage that ascended with Sinatra's fame soon came crashing down when Sinatra became involved with one of the world's best-known sex symbols, Ava Gardner.

The affair made headlines and led to Sinatra's divorce from Nancy. Six days after the papers were signed in November of 1951, Sinatra married Gardner.

The relationship between Sinatra and Gardner was passionate and volatile.

"The troubles were all out of bed -- the quarreling started on the way to breakfast," Sinatra said.

They separated in 1953 and divorced in 1957. The split hit Sinatra hard, and Sinatra-watchers say he contemplated suicide during this time. Music critics, on the other hand, noted that he put more emotion in his songs after the split with Gardner.

Rebound

Through the years that followed his break-up with Gardner, Sinatra was linked to some of the most beautiful women in the world, including Marlene Dietrich, Lauren Bacall, Lana Turner and Marilyn Monroe.

Sinatra shocked fans in the 1960s with his courting of and marriage to Mia Farrow. She was 20; he was 50.

Farrow's mother, actress Maureen O'Sullivan, said at the time: "Never mind Mia. He should be marrying me."

Even fellow "Rat Pack" buddy Dean Martin got into the act.

"I've got scotch older than Mia Farrow," Martin said.

Farrow and Sinatra divorced in 1968, two years after they were married.

Sinatra finally settled down with Barbara Marx, the former wife of Zeppo Marx. They married in 1976 and she escorted the entertainer through the twilight of his career.

Sinatra might have been a better friend to his former wives than he was as a husband. When it was revealed that former wife Mia Farrow's love interest, director Woody Allen, was having an affair with her adopted daughter, it was reported that Sinatra offered to have Allen's legs broken.

The Camelot connection

Sinatra was always considered "connected," enjoying close relationships with everyone from presidents to princes, and, of course, alleged ties to the Mafia, something he strongly denied.

He vigorously supported John F. Kennedy's campaign for president heading into the 1960s, and Sinatra's version of "High Hopes" was the campaign's theme song.

Rumors, however, claimed that he dropped out of favor with the Kennedys following revelations that he introduced the president to a woman who simultaneously became Kennedy's mistress, and the mistress of Mafia boss Sam Giancana. The reports were never confirmed.

Mafia ties were always a popular subject in books about Sinatra. Perhaps the one that claimed the most attention was Kitty Kelley's controversial "His Way," an unauthorized biography that Sinatra tried to prevent from being published.

The scathing biography was called "as damning a book as has ever been written about an American entertainer" by The Washington Post.

A swinger and a dad

The Sinatra image often fluctuated. He was a rowdy "Rat Pack" swinger one minute, doing the town with Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr.

"You've got to be livin', baby," he would say, "because dyin' is a pain in the ass."

The next minute, he was a doting father. Accompanied by his band, he attended the high school graduation of daughter Nancy.

Sinatra was also known for impeccable style, from the liquor he drank to the clothes he wore.

"He never wore brown after dark," says Bill Zehme, author of the Sinatra biography "The Way You Wear Your Hat." "For instance, men who wore brown would be ... taken aside. (Sinatra) would say, "What are you doing? You wear black or dark gray or maybe navy, but that's it.'"

Endless philanthropic interests

Sinatra battled racism and helped open doors for black talents like Sammy Davis Jr.

He fought Hollywood's blacklist during the 1950s, putting out-of-work writers, actors, and colleagues on his payroll throughout his career. It was Sinatra who helped pay for Judy Garland's bills when the actress was in financial straits.

His family says Sinatra's philanthropic interests were endless. According to stories from people who associated with him, Sinatra often read the newspaper and found people who suffered misfortune. He'd then have his secretary send them money -- always anonymously.

He gave so much to charities over the years that his family says they have simply lost track of a dollar amount, estimated to be "in the millions."

Sinatra has become so popular, and perhaps so hard to pin down, a group of scholars has dedicated conferences to his status as an American cultural icon.

One gathering in 1998 at Hofstra University is titled, "Frank Sinatra: The Man, the Music, the Legend."

Main  |  The Singer  |  The Actor  |  The Man

---

 

---

Sound off on our message boards & chat

© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.