Legendary singer Frank Sinatra dies
<그림: Graphic>May 15, 1998
Web posted at: 10:57 a.m. EDT (1457 GMT)
LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- "Ol' Blue Eyes," Frank Sinatra, is being mourned Friday
around the world by millions of fans after his death from a heart attack. The
Sinatra family plans to hold a private funeral. The time and location of the
service have not been disclosed.
Sinatra, 82, was pronounced dead Thursday at 10:50 p.m. in the emergency room
of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said his publicist, Susan Reynolds. Sinatra's
family, including his wife, was with him when he died.
Sinatra was a master craftsman and ranked as one of the most influential
singers in this country's history. In more than 200 albums, his music led the
evolution of Big Band to vocal American music.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sinatra: The Singer, The Actor, The Man, The Career
'Last of the great legends'
The wit and wisdom of Frank Sinatra
Hoboken mourns its most famous son
Larry King's 1998 interview with Sinatra <그림: video icon>
Judd Rose reports on the legacy <그림: video icon>
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Whether it was in song, on the silver screen or in nightclubs, few could
escape the charm of Ol' Blue Eyes. His voice carried over countless
phonographs, as lovers huddled listening to tunes like "Try a Little
Tenderness," "My Way," "I've Got You Under My Skin" and "Strangers in the
Night."
As a matinee idol, he appeared in blockbuster films such as "From Here to
Eternity," "The Man With the Golden Arm" and "The Manchurian Candidate."
With some 1,800 music recordings, 60 film credits, nine Grammys and an
Academy Award, Sinatra was the grandmaster of entertainment, an American icon
of seeming immortality. He recorded more top-40 albums than any artist: 51,
three more than Elvis Presley. And he holds an unrivaled record of longevity
on Billboard charts, where a Sinatra song was a fixture every week from 1955
to 1995.
<그림: FS in >젨"From Here to Eternity" 젨
Or in the sing-song words of broadcaster Howard Cosell: "Frank Sinatra, who
has the phrasing, who has the control, who understands the composers; who
knows what losing means, as so many have, who made the great comeback, who
stands still -- eternally -- on top of the entertainment world. Ladies and
gentlemen, from here on in, it's Frank Sinatra!"
From Hoboken to Hollywood
The son of an Italian immigrant fireman, Francis Albert Sinatra started as a
copyboy at a hometown newspaper in Hoboken, New Jersey. Not content with a
career in journalism he organized a singing group, "The Hoboken Four." His
father objected. "Singing is for sissies," he said.
In 1937, Sinatra received his first break when he won first prize on the
"Major Bowes Amateur Hour" radio show. He was soon busy with radio
appearances and nightclub engagements. From 1939 to 1942 he fronted as a
vocalist with the Harry James and Tommy Dorsey bands, making $65 and $100 a
week respectively.
<그림: FS in Oceana>젨Sinatra in "Ocean's 11" 젨
It was with Dorsey that Sinatra developed his patented singing style, marked
by a careful phrasing of lyrics and long melodic lines. Dorsey would glide
through music with relative ease, he and his trombone intertwined in romantic
harmony. Young Frank took note.
"The thing that influenced me most was the way Tommy played his trombone. He
would take a musical phrase and play it all the way through seemingly without
breathing for 8, 10, maybe 16 bars," Sinatra wrote in a 1965 Life magazine
article. "It was my idea to make my voice work in the same way as a trombone
or violin."
Sinatra opted to go solo in 1942, and soon he emerged as America's darling.
An eight-week engagement at New York's Paramount Theater led to enormous
popularity on stage, on radio, in nightclubs and in musical films. Admiring
fans dubbed him "The Voice."
Sinatra singing "New York, New York"<그림: icon>1.9M/3 min. AIFF or WAV sound
<그림: video icon>1.2 MB/33 sec. QuickTime movie
To many, Sinatra personified the swinging times of post-World War II America.
"It was a time where you brought a flower to your girlfriend, who you were
engaged to, and you sat down and swooned to Frank Sinatra. It was a beautiful
era," singer Tony Bennett once said.
Barbara Rush, Sinatra's co-star in the film "Come Blow Your Horn," put it
more precisely: "There was something about the man larger than the man
himself."
But by the early 1950s, Sinatra endured a number of hardships. His longtime
marriage to high school sweetheart Nancy Barbato failed after his affair with
actress Ava Gardner surfaced. Sinatra married Gardner in 1951. The following
year, his vocal cords hemorrhaged and his career appeared finished,
especially after his talent agency, MCA, dropped him.
But Sinatra fought back. He begged Columbia Pictures to cast him in Fred
Zinnemann's 1953 film "From Here to Eternity." The studio obliged, hiring him
for a mere $8,000. He won an Oscar as best supporting actor for his work.
In 1955, he was nominated for a best actor award for his performance in "The
Man with the Golden Arm."
Movie Clip
"The Man with the Golden Arm."
<그림: video icon>1.6M/37 sec.
QuickTime movie
The kudos kept rolling in. He scored big again in "Guys and Dolls," acting
alongside Marlon Brando. Meanwhile, his voice returned to top form and his
singing style matured. Within a few years, he was a superstar in movies, TV
and music -- his popularity, enormous.
"I saw Sinatra and the pope on TV when I was 2 and said, 'Who's that guy with
Frank Sinatra?'" comedian Roseanne once quipped.
'You gotta love livin' baby'
Much like his casual on-stage swagger, Sinatra lived life with a confident
indulgence. He built one of the most important record companies in the world,
Reprise Records, which later merged with Warner Brothers. And he accumulated
millions, investing in various business ventures, from industry and real
estate to casinos and racetracks. He acquired the nickname "Chairman of the
Board of Show Business." Twice more he married, to Mia Farrow and then
Barbara Marx.
His motto: "You gotta love livin' baby, 'cause dyin's a pain in the ass."
Sinatra was often criticized for his quixotic tendencies. One minute, he ate
lunch with mobsters; the next, he was dining with the president. A man with a
hot temper and sometimes brash demeanor, Sinatra barefisted photographers
prying into his private escapades on several occasions. Critics also derided
him for his unrelenting association with the underworld.
<그림: FS in Deadly Sin>젨From "The First Deadly Sin" 젨
But, so too, Sinatra was known for his benevolence. He took stars under his
wing during the 1950s after Hollywood blacklisted them. He also donated
millions to charitable causes.
"We lost track of how much he raised for charities around the world -- way up
in the millions," daughter Nancy once said.
His generosity won him the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1971
Academy Awards. Shortly afterward, he announced his retirement from
entertainment world. And in June 1971, he performed at what was billed his
last public performance, ending the show with the line: "Excuse me while I
disappear."
But Ol' Blue Eyes couldn't stay away. He toured the nation with Sammy Davis
and Lizi Minnelli in the late 1980s and he turned out another album, "Duets,"
in the early 1990s. President Ronald Reagan awarded him with the Medal of
Freedom, the highest civilian honor. In 1994, he was honored at the Grammys
with the prestigious Legend Award for his lifetime of musical
accomplishments.
Singer Vic Damone once said, "There will never be another Frank Sinatra. He
is all by himself with what he's done with his life as a performer and as a
man. He's had his ups and downs, but he really is a great, great man."
More than anything, Sinatra left behind a legacy few will ever forget.
"There are, in this world, just talented people, and Frank was one of them.
He had passion," Rush once said.
�
-Warren G, DRU Hill, Graham Bonnet, Boyz List, Boston Kickout, Areosmith,Shawn
Colvin, FireHouse, Celine Dion, Rod Stewart, Toni Braxton, Kenny G, Mark Owen,
Donna Lewis, Scolpions, Gloria Estefan, REm, Suede, Enya, Take That...n' HUFSan