Frank Sinatra Jr. Passes Away at 72
Frank Sinatra Jr., son of iconic artist Frank Sinatra, passed away on Wednesday March 16 after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 72.
According to a family statement issued to The Associated Press, Sinatra Jr.—whose real name was Francis Wayne Sinatra—had been on tour in Daytona Beach, FL when he unexpectedly went into cardiac arrest, dying shortly thereafter. No additional details have been released.
Born in New Jersey in 1943, Sinatra Jr. was the middle child of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Barbato Sinatra, his siblings being famed singer Nancy Sinatra ("These Boots Are Made For Walkin'") and successful TV producer Tina Sinatra. In 1963, when he was only 19 years old, Sinatra Jr. was infamously kidnapped at gunpoint while vacationing in Lake Tahoe. His family paid $240,000 ransom for his release, and he was returned to them safely after only two days.
The Sinatra family mourn the untimely passing of their son, brother, father, uncle, Frank Sinatra, Jr. of cardiac arrest...
Posted by Nancy Sinatra on Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Career-wise, Sinatra Jr. followed in his father's footsteps, pursuing and achieving his own successful career in music and eventually becoming a musical conductor and director for Sinatra. Following his father's death in 1998, when Sinatra died of a heart attack at 82, Sinatra Jr. began to perform his father's legendary songs while on tour and during special performances in Las Vegas.
Sinatra Jr. is survived by a son, Michael.
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