Alex Carson
Ol’ Blue Eyes, the fearless leader of the Rat Pack; Frank Sinatra force to be reckoned with back in the day, and his legacy lives on in more ways than just one. Sure, he’s viewed as one of the greatest musical artists of the 20th century. And yes, he is the best selling musical artist of all time; having sold somewhere in the ballpark of 150 million albums globally. But there is a little part of the man who died in 1998 that still lives on in a more tangible way than simply how his music continues to influence and inspire modern-day artists.
Frank Sinatra married four times, and throughout those marriages, he had three children. Those three kids, Nancy, Tina, and Frank Tina, all ended up doing different things with their lives; and sadly only two are still with us. However, if Frank were still alive today, he would likely be very proud of what they managed to accomplish and how they kept their family name alive.
Join FactsVerse as we catch up with Frank Sinatra’s children and see what the surviving two are up to today. We’ll be detailing their career choices, love interests, and contributions to the world. We’ll also check in with Sinatra’s grandchildren and see how they are holding up in this wild world we live in.
Nancy Sinatra
Following in her father’s footsteps, Nancy, age 81, is a singer and actress. She’s the oldest child of Frank and Nancy Sinatra and was born on June 8, 1940. She’s perhaps best known for her hit 1966 song ‘These Boots Are Made For Walkin’.
Nancy was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. When she was a toddler, her family relocated to Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey. They would later move once again to Toluca, Lake California to support Frank’s Hollywood acting career.
While there, Nancy learned how to play the piano, took dance and drama lessons, and underwent extensive vocal training. She got her start as a singer and actress in 1957 when she made an appearance on her dad’s ABC variety program. At first, she only found success in Europe and Japan. But in 1966, she released ‘These Boots are Made For Walkin’ which transformed her into a global star.
A promotional television clip from this period featured Nancy in high boots alongside a group of go-dancers in colorful outfits. This look is now consider as an iconic look of the Swinging Sixties. And it was a look that she was fairly famous for donning.
The song penned by songster Lee Hazlewood, who would go on to write and produce the majority of her hit songs and would occasionally sing duets with her.
Nancy would have 13 songs that charted in 1966 and 1967; all of those featured session musician William Everett Strange as their conductor and arranger.
Some of her other notable recordings include Sugar Town, Somethin’ Stupid, Summer Wine, and her cover of Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down). Which featured in the opening credits for the 2003 Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill Volume 1.
From 1964 to 1968, Nancy appeared in a handful of motion pictures. She appeared alongside Peter Fonda in 1966s The Wild Angels. And teamed up with Elvis Presley in the 1968 film Speedway. In 1965, Nancy co-starred with her father in the comedy film Marriage on the Rocks.
Even though she’s now in her 80s, Nancy still is putting out music. In 2013, she put out the digital-only album Shifting Gears and in 2020; Light in the Attic Records announced their plans to release Nancy’s Archival collection. That same year, Nancy started Nancy’s Boutique, an online shop that features her albums, merchandise, and autographed items.
Nancy’s married twice. Her first marriage was with pop singer Tommy Sands in 1960 and ended in divorce five years later. She married to a man named Hugh Lambert in 1970 and remained with him until his death in 1985.
With Lambert, Nancy had two children -Angela Jennifer Lambert Paparozzi and Amanda Catherine Lambert Erlinger, both of whom received $1 million in the form of a trust fund set up by their grandfather.
Angela Jennifer Lambert, who goes by AJ, is a musician who got her start playing in punk and goth bands. These days, she performs music that is more akin to what her grandfather used to sing. Her most recent single, 2018s I Got It Bad, for example, was an emotional piano ballad.
AJ’s sister, Amanda is a photographer among other things but has never tried to make a career for herself in the spotlight.
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Frank Sinatra Jr
Born Francis Wayne Sinatra on January 10, 1944, in Jersey City, New Jersey, Frank Jr hardly ever saw his father while growing up as he was almost always on the road either playing shows or acting in films.
As far back as he can recall, Frank Jr always wanted to be a pianist and songwriter – and he managed to achieve that dream before passing away in 2016 at the age of 72.
At the age of 19, in 1963, Frank Jr kidnapped at Harrah’s Lake Tahoe. He released by his captives two days later after his dad paid the quarter-million dollar ransom. Today, that would equate to about $2 million.
His kidnappers, Barry Keenan, Jom Amsler, and Johnny Irwin, apprehended soon after his release and tried and convicted of kidnapping. Each received lengthy prison sentences, although they served only a fraction of those.
Keenan the brains behind the operation and later determined to be legally insane when he committed the crime and thus did not bear responsibility for his heinous actions.
Frank Jr kicked off his musical career playing at local clubs and venues in his teens. At 19, he became the lead vocalist for Sam Donahue’s musical outfit. He spent a significant amount of time as well playing with Duke Ellington and learning the ropes of the music industry.
Although he managed to make a career out of performing, he constantly compared to his father and never displayed distinctiveness to set himself apart. In 1980, after struggling to make it big for decades with little success, he joined his father on the road. He would maintain a presence in the limelight – albeit discretely – until 1998, the year his dad passed away.
Since then, he has made a couple of appearances on television playing himself and various other characters. One notable credit was playing a player in Tony Soprano’s high-stakes poker game.
Frank Jr married to Cynthia McMurry on October 18, 1998. The couple split two years later. He had one son, Michael, whom he had from a previous relationship.
Michael is a Jazz singer in Vegas. According to his website, he likes to sing pop singers from the Great American Songbook and those that were performed by the Rat Pack.
On March 16, 2016, it was announced that Frank Jr had passed away at the age of 72 after having a heart attack while on tour in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Tina Sinatra
Christina Sinatra was born on the 20th of June, 1948 in Los Angeles, California. She is Frank Sinatra’s youngest child, whom he had with his first wife, Nancy Barbato Sinatra. Frank and Nancy got divorced when Tina was three.
Unlike her siblings, Tina never wished to be a singer like their father. Instead, she took acting lessons and notably appeared opposite Hampton Fancher in the German 1969 TV miniseries Romeo and Julia 70.
Tina lived in Germany for a few years before returning to the states to take more acting lessons with actor Jeff Corey. During this time, she appeared in shows such as It Takes A Thief, Adam-12, Mannix, and McCloud.
Even though she never really wanted to be a singer, she did appear on the 1968 album The Sinatra Family Wish You A Merry Christmas alongside her father and siblings.
Despite the fact that she had initially set out to become an actress, she would later write in her memoir that she lacked the ambition and drive to become a full-fledged actress. She eventually became a theatrical agent instead represented by Robert Blake.
After her father’s death, and upon his request, Tina took full control of Frank’s film and music legacy.
Tina has also occasionally worked as a film and television producer. In 1992 she produced the CBS miniseries Sinatra, which dealt with her father’s life. She also served a producer for the 2004 remake of her dad’s 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate.
In 2000, she released her memoir, My Father’s Daughter, which was co-written by Jeff Coplon.
After a brief engagement to Robert Wagner that ended in 1972, Tina married musician Wes Ferrell in 1974. They divorced two years later. In 1981, she married a man named Richard Cohen, but they would also divorce just two years after tying the knot.
It appears as if Tina is retired these days and living in Beverly Hills. It’s also known that she never had any children.
It must be extremely challenging to be the son or daughter of a massively famous star. Everyone is always going to be constantly comparing you to your parent. Sure, having a family name like Sinatra certainly helps gain you a little bit of attention, but it also means that everyone will always be holding you to a higher standard.
If you were the child of a star like Frank Sinatra, do you think you would try to follow in their footsteps, or would you try to do your own thing? Also, which one of Frank’s kids do you think best carried on their father’s legacy? Let us know in the comments.
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