Frank Sinatra - The Man and His Music Part 3 of 3

 I would like to begin part 3 of Frank Sinatra - The Man and His Music, by thanking all of you who have left comments on part 1 and part 2.  I appreciate each one and have been delighted to read them. I know it takes time to respond to a hub, especially when there are so many wonderful hubs to read and comment about.

Now, follow along with me as we learn more about Francis Albert Sinatra, the boy from Hoboken, New Jersey, who became the most famous entertainer in the world.

Frank was first married to his childhood sweetheart, Nancy Barbato (4 February 1939 - 29 October 1951) and 3 children were born to the couple. Nancy Sinatra, Tina Sinatra, and one son Frank Sinatra Jr. The couple divorced in 1951. Sinatra adored his children and he and Nancy remained friends throughout his life.

He fell madly in love with the beautiful actress Ava Gardner and they married November 7 1951 and after a turbulent 6 years, divorced on - July 5, 1957. He never got over her.

He met actress Mia Farrow and married her on 19 July 1966 - 16 August 1968 when the marriage ended in divorce.

Then in 1976 Sinatra married Barbara Marx,  former wife of Zepo Marx of Marx Brother fame. This time the marriage lasted for the rest of Sinatra's life. He had at last found emotional stability.

Franklin Wayne Emmanuel Sinatra (born 10 January 1944 in Jersey City, New Jersey), professionally known as Frank Sinatra, Jr., is an American singer, songwriter and conductor. Frank Jr. is the son of famed musician and actor Frank Sinatra and Nancy Barbato, his father's first wife. He is the younger brother of singer and actress Nancy Sinatra, and the older brother of television producer Tina Sinatra.

Christina Sinatra, primarily known as "Tina" (born June 20, 1948, in Los Angeles, California) is the youngest child (and the second daughter) of Frank Sinatra and his first wife, Nancy Barbato Sinatra. Christina's parents divorced when she was three years old. Sinatra's song "Tina" was about her. She is an occasional film producer who has also done some acting in the past.

Born as the first child of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Barbato, Nancy Sinatra was born in Jersey City on June 8th 1940. First TV appearance was with her father and Elvis Presly in 1959. First appeared as a film actress in 1964 in For Those Who Think Young in(1964) and Get Yourself a College Girl in (1964). Nancy appeared alongside Elvis in Speedway(1968). Also had a successful career as a singer with two US chart-toppers ("These Boots are made for Walking" and the duet with her father called "Somethin' Stupid") as well as numerous other chart entries including the John Barry/ Leslie Bricusse penned theme song to the James Bond film You Only Live Twice (1967). In recent years, Nancy has made a comeback also not hindered by the recent successful re-recording of "Somethin' Stupid" by Robbie Williams and Nicole Kidman.

A punctured eardrum gave him exemption from military service and he was able to work hard during the war years to further his recording career. Some of his most famous classics such as 'Beguine the Beguine' and 'I've Got A Crush On You' were recorded at this time.

Sinatra's recording and singing career were also resurrected on the back of his movie success. Always cool and collected, Frank Sinatra carried himself in a way that most in the limelight do not. No one was as hard on Frank Sinatra as Frank himself. He worked hard to maintain the standards he set with sold-out concerts, hit records, and popular films and television specials. "The Chairman of the Board" added successful businessman to his resume with many successful deals including the co-founding of his own recording label in 1961 dubbed Reprise Records.

In 1988 Frank Sinatra launched a hugely successful Rat Pack reunion tour with Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin. But when Dean pulled out due to the strenuous schedule, Liza Mennelli (Judy Garland and Vincent Minnelli's daughter) provided a very qualified replacement. The release of two albums featuring Sinatra with other popular artists of the times, Duets (1993) and Duets II (1994), proved his style of music was still in demand. The two Duets albums outsold any of his albums. Frank proved he could cross-generational barriers with as much ease as he sang a song.

As he aged, his voice changed, most would say for the better. It was mellower and the timbre seemed richer. He was able to project himself as the mature sophisticate, expriencing and enjoying life's ups and downs and still at heart a romantic. He loved to laugh and spread joy. He also was a humanitarian, giving generously to charities, organizations and causes.

Sinatra retired in 1971 but no-one quite believed it and it proved to be the first of several retirements. He continued to record and make television appearances throughout the 1970's and early 1980's.
As the years caught up with him he slowed down his performing side and also his lifestyle became more sedate. He devoted more time to worthy causes including a new wing at the Atlantic CityMedicalCenter. Even so he was still able to win two more Grammys for 'Duets I & II,' with recording stars of the past and present. He also received many prestigeous awards, including the United States's highest civilian accolade, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

With old age came more public interest and accolades. In the 1990's it was once again fashionable to be 'hip' and 'cool' and the Press, radio and television were flooded with articles about Sinatra and The Rat Pack's hard-living culture. The market was flooded with books and films of Sinatra concerts, movies and recordings.

It was his last hurrah and he made his last ,and this time final retirement, in 1995, aged 80 years. He suffered a heart attack in 1997 and passed away on May 14, 1998 at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Hospital.