Frank Sinatra Jr. Dies at 72

By Brian Zimmerman I Mar. 28, 2016

Frank Sinatra Jr. (1944–2016) performs at the Seminole Casino in Coconut Creek, Florida, in 2012.
(Photo: Stephanie Shacter)

Frank Sinatra Jr., who helped extend his father’s legacy into the 21st century while carving out his own distinct voice as a singer, songwriter and conductor, died on Wednesday of a massive heart attack while on tour in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was 72.

Sinatra Jr. was the middle child of his father, Frank Sr., and Nancy Barbato Sinatra. He began performing in his mid-teens for the Sam Donahue band, and later spent time in ensembles led by Duke Ellington and Nelson Riddle.

In 1963, when Sinatra Jr. was 19, he was kidnapped from a Lake Tahoe hotel by three men who demanded a ransom for his release. He was returned to his family two days later after his father agreed to pay the kidnappers $240,000.