RIP Frank Sinatra, Jr. (1944-2016)

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criddic3
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RIP Frank Sinatra, Jr. (1944-2016)

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Frank Sinatra, Jr., born Francis Wayne Sinatra on January 10 of 1944, was primarily known for his singing career. However, he made occasional forays into the world of film and television.

He made guest appearances on several variety shows in the 1960s and 1970s. Among these were "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," "The Red Skelton Hour," and (unsurprisingly) "The Dean Martin Show." Sinatra also had guest roles on such shows as "The Patty Duke Show" (1965), "Alias Smith and Jones" (1972), and "Adam-12" (1972-74). He had a supporting part in the TV movie "Police Story: Confessions of a Lady Cop" (1980).

Sinatra's sporadic theatrical films include "A Man Called Adam" with Sammy Davis, Jr. (1966), "Wacky Taxi" (1972), "Do It in the Dirt" (1979), "Code Name: Zebra" (1987), "Cool World" (1992), "Hollywood Homicide" (2002) and as a judge in "Everything or Nothing" (2007). Most of these consisted of brief walk-ons or cameos.

He was featured occasionally in vocal performances on Seth McFarlane's hit animated series "Family Guy" beginning in 2006.

Sinatra's musical career began at the age of 19, becoming the vocalist for Sam Donahue's band. He learned much of what he knew about music from legendary bandleader Duke Ellington. He recorded several albums, including "Young Love For Sale (1965), "The Sinatra Family Wish You a Merry Christmas" (1968), "Spice" (1971), "His Way!" (1972), "It's Alright" (1977), "As I Remember It" (1996) and the critically acclaimed "That Face!" (1996). [http://www.allmusic.com/album/mw0000547716] In addition, he guested on 'What Up, Dog?' by Was Not Was (1989), his father's 'Duets II' (1994), and 'Songs of Sinatra' by Steve Tyrell (2005).

While he struggled to be a success as a singer under the shadow of his famous father, he had a rocky start in the late 1960's. On December 8, 1963, he was kidnapped in an unusual scheme by Barry Keenan, Johnny Irwin, and Joe Amsler, all of whom were later convicted for the crime. This episode was so strange that some people would question whether it was a stunt to help his career, and was later depicted in the 2003 TV cable movie "Stealing Sinatra," featuring Thomas Ian Nicholas ("Rookie of the Year," 1993) as Sinatra, Jr. It also inspired Hawaii Five-O episode "Tiger by the Tail" on October 10, 1968.

In the mid to late 1980's, Jr. would act as his father's musical conductor. He said that this period helped bring the two closer together, since Sr. was often on the road during the earlier years of Jr.'s life.
"Because here’s the thing about life: There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand." -- President Joe Biden, 01/20/2021
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