From countless chart-topping albums to his award-winning roles on the big screen, music legend Frank Sinatra has left behind quite a legacy. The crooner, born in Hoboken, N.J. on Dec. 12, 1915, sold more than 150 million records worldwide. On May 14, 1998, Sinatra died of a heart attack in L.A. Take a look back at the impressive life and career of Ol' Blue Eyes.
Frank Sinatra might have started off as just a regular boy from New Jersey, but he would later become one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century.
Born and raised in Hoboken, N.J. to Italian immigrant parents, Sinatra lived an average life but quickly developed an interest in music, particularly jazz. He began singing professionally as a teenager and joined the band the 3 Flashes at the age of 20. With the addition of Sinatra (r), they were renamed to the Hoboken Four as they passed an audition and went on to win first place to become regulars on the “Original Amateur Hour” show (pictured here).
After a short stint with the Harry James band and his first recording, Sinatra moved on to sing in the Tommy Dorsey band in 1939. It was the same year that Sinatra met Nancy Barbato, also from New Jersey. The two got married in 1940 and had their first child, Nancy Sandra, the same year. In 1944, Nancy gave birth to Frank Jr. and four years later to Tina. In 1951, after years of infidelity, Sinatra and Nancy separated and divorced. The two are pictured together here at the Academy Awards in Hollywood in March 1946.
By 1941, Sinatra was the top male singer in polls by Billboard and Down Beat magazines and “Sinatramania” ensued. Thousands of teenage girls would pack into venues to see Sinatra perform and organized fan clubs and meetings where they would send him messages and gifts. He finally signed his first contract as a solo artist in 1943 with Columbia Records.
During his climb to fame, Sinatra decided to try out acting in Hollywood. He made his film debut in 1941 in “Las Vegas Nights” where he sang a few songs. In 1945, Sinatra had his first big break with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in the musical “Anchors Aweigh” opposite Gene Kelly. Garnering a few award nominations, Sinatra was cast again with Kelly for the 1949 hit “On The Town,” pictured here.
For most of his life, Sinatra idolized Bing Crosby as they both dominated the jazz genre during the same time. However, Sinatra’s success gave way to tension between the two legendary singers over time. In 1943, the two came together and buried the hatchet to perform a duet that they agreed on if someone bought a $10,000 war bond. The two later came together in 1956 to star alongside Grace Kelly in the film “High School.”
After a few albums and records, Sinatra’s career began to slow down and came to an all-time-low in 1950 following the sudden death of his publicist George Evans. His reputation further declined when his affair with actress Ava Gardner was reported by the media. Still married to Nancy, Sinatra began an affair with Gardner (pictured here) and the two ended up getting married in 1951. Their marriage was well-publicized as they had many fights and altercations with each other. Only two years into their marriage, they announced their separation with Gardner filing for divorce in 1954. The divorce was finally settled in 1957.
Frank Sinatra was all smiles in this photo of him enjoying coffee and donuts in his trailer during a break in filming, circa 1950.
This cute photo shows Frank Sinatra and his wife at the time, Ava Gardner, sitting next to each other in a booth and sipping drinks with straws. Gardner was Sinatra’s second wife and they were married from 1951-1957.
In 1953, Sinatra (r) starred in Fred Zinnemann’s “From Here to Eternity” alongside Montgomery Clift and Burt Lancaster. The film dealt with the tribulations of three soldiers stationed in Hawaii in the months leading up to Pearl Harbor. The film led to his first Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor and helped revive his declining singing career. The same year he signed a contract with Capitol Records after Columbia and MCA dropped him and immediately got to work.
Frank Sinatra proudly smiles as he holds his first Oscar for his role in “From Here to Eternity” alongside co-star Donna Reed in 1954. A year later, Sinatra was nominated again, this time for Best Actor in “The Man with the Golden Arm,” but lost to Marlon Brando for “On the Waterfront.” Sinatra also won the Golden Globe for “From Here to Eternity” and various other awards for his iconic role in the film.
In 1954, Sinatra went on to release his first album under Capitol records, “Songs for Young Lovers,” that was named album of the year by Billboard as well as Favorite Male Vocalist. A year later, Sinatra released “In the Wee Small Hours” and shortly after “Swingin’ Lovers!” that is sometimes seen as one of his best albums. In 1958, Sinatra released “Come Fly with Me,” which would be a Billboard hit and receive his first Grammy nomination. He is seen here with actors Ronald Reagan and Barbara Rush after the premiere of “A Hole in the Head,” in which Sinatra starred.
Frank Sinatra was a member of the iconic 1960s “Rat Pack.” The members, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Joey Bishop usually worked together and when one member of the group was slated to give a performance, the others would often show up for an impromptu show.
In 1960, Sinatra went on to co-star in the hit film “Ocean’s 11” alongside other members of the Rat Pack, including Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Peter Lawford and Angie Dickerson. The film was later reprised in 2001 by George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, to name a few. The same year Sinatra also released “Come Dance with Me!,” one of his most successful albums that stayed on Billboard’s pop album chart for 140 weeks and won the Grammy Album of the Year award.
In 1962, Sinatra played the leading role in “The Manchurian Candidate,” a role he considered to be the most exciting and the high point in his acting career. Sinatra continued an acting career after starring in films like “Come Blow Your Horn,” ” Von Ryan’s Express” and “None but the Brave,” that he also directed. His last major film role came in 1980 opposite Faye Dunaway in “The First Deadly Sin.”
Frank Sinatra received critical acclaim for his performance in the popular 1962 film, “The Manchurian Candidate,” which he starred in opposite Laurence Harvey and Janet Leigh.
After growing discontent at Capitol Records, Sinatra went on to form his own label, Reprise Records, aand releasing his first album in 1961. After a few broken engagements with Lauren Ball and Juliet Prowse in 1962, Sinatra finally went on to marry Mia Farrow in July 1966. The smiling couple is seen here cutting their wedding cake during their Las Vegas wedding. Their marriage didn’t even hit the two-year mark before they filed for divorce. Despite parting ways, however, the two remained close friends for life.
In 1967, Sinatra released “That’s Life,” the single becoming one of the top ten hits on Billboard’s pop charts. The same year, Sinatra began collaborating with his eldest daughter Nancy, as the two are pictured here during their first joint recording session. Their chart-topping duet “Somethin’ Stupid” was released on his album “The World We Knew.”
In 1971, Sinatra announced his retirement at a concert in Hollywood to raise money. However, after a year-long hiatus, Sinatra came out of a short-lived retirement to perform for a television special and album “Ol’ Blue Eyes Is Back.” Sinatra continued performing, making stops in Las Vegas and New York City, pictured here at Madison Square Garden in Oct. 1974. Sinatra continued performing through the late 1970s, only taking a break once when his mother died in a plane accident coming to see him.
Frank Sinatra is pictured here during the taping of “Sinatra and Friends,” a television special described as “an hour-long musical medley.” Sinatra was surrounded by music legends (L-R) Tony Bennett, John Denver, Robert Merrill, back, Leslie Uggams, Dean Martin, Loretta Lynn, Frank Sinatra and Natalie Cole, daughter of the late Nat Cole, in this photo from 1977.
Raise a glass to Frank Sinatra! Even as he aged, Sinatra still enjoyed performing onstage. He is pictured here in 1975 toasting the audience during one of his shows in the UK.
In 1976, Sinatra married his fourth and final wife Barbara Marx, as the two are pictured here at a benefit event in 1996. In 1980, Sinatra released his first album in six years titled “Trilogy: Past Present Future,” which garnered six Grammy nominations and peaking at number 17 on Billboard charts. After a few more performances and albums, Sinatra made his final concert appearance in Japan in Dec. 1994. A year later, he sang for the very last time at a golf tournament. On May 14, 1998, Sinatra suffered a severe heart attack and died by Barbara’s side at the age of 82.
Sinatra’s funeral was held at the Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, Calif. on May 20, 1998, with 400 mourners in attendance. Thousands of people lined the streets leading to the church to say goodbye to the legend. He was laid to rest next to his parents at the Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, Calif.
A man in New York’s Times Square reads a special edition of the New York Daily News reporting the death of Frank Sinatra the following day. Today his legacy lives on everywhere, especially in his hometown of Hoboken where there is a park, post office and residence hall at Montclair State University named in his honor. Many art schools, including the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Astoria, Queens and the Frank Sinatra Hall at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, Calif., are also named after him.
