Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, New Jersey on December 12, 1915. He almost died during birth, trying to come out of his mother, and received scars, from the doctor trying to pull him out, that he would live with the rest of his life. He would later say that almost dying like that drove and motivated him to become the extravagant man we all know today.
Frank lived with his mother and father and had no siblings. His father, Marty, was a prizefighter and later became a firefighter captain. His mother, Dolly, was a stay-at-home mom for awhile until she got into politics and became a committeewoman for the Democratic Party. Later in life, Frank followed in his mother’s footsteps and became a very big part of the Kennedy and Nixon administration. But, because of both his parents’ jobs, he was usually alone or it was common for him to be at his cousin’s house. Even though all of this, Frank had always thought of his father as the greatest man he had ever known, and his mother as the kindest most caring person.
As a boy, Frank was very quiet and conscientious. He lived in a bad neighborhood, and would get into fights almost every day but never tell anyone about it. The kids on his block gave him the name “Scarface” because of all the scars he accumulated during his fights. He also often said that his passion for civil rights came from all the name calling he heard as a child. Later, in high school, he began to get his ambition for singing so he joined his school’s Glee Club and also sang at parties and eventually got onto the radio to start his career.
Frank had many interests in his life including music, flying and civil rights. When he was in high school, Frank entered a model airplane contest to win a free airplane ride. He was very excited when he won and loved the flight which began his love of flying. But, the thing he is probably best known for was his love of music. He was in numerous bands in his adult years, but he was barely noticed in high school. He sang in his school’s Glee Club and occasionally at parties he was invited to. It wasn’t until he sang on the radio for competition that he first got recognized and got signed into his first real band. He was soon after signed into the Tom Dorsey band which made his career.
When Frank was younger, he often heard a lot of name calling and discrimination against blacks which first ignited his fire for civil rights. Later, in his famous years, he actively protested discrimination mostly because of his good friend Sammy Davis, Jr. His protesting changed the prejudice in the Las Vegas hotels and allowed blacks to gamble without a white man present. His firm beliefs in non-discrimination helped start a civil rights revolution for white people. Frank was also a strong believer in big, close-knit families. This also came from when he was a child. He was an only child and often spent a lot of time by himself because of his parents’ work. When his daughter had her first child he told her, “I hope you’ll consider having another baby. It was lonely for me”.
Even at a young age Frank always knew what he wanted to do. He loved to sing and would always do it whenever and wherever he had the chance. Sometimes, he would sing just for sandwich or a pack of cigarettes. He hit the big time when he made his own band and started playing regularly at the Rustic Cabin in New Jersey. After a few gigs, Frank caught the eye of a famous music producer named Tom Dorsey. Dorsey signed Frank into his band and, after that, became much more famous and recognizable. Then, he played as a solo for awhile and eventually that became his main course as a solo artist with an orchestra to back him up.
Everyone knows that Frank Sinatra is famous for his singing, but not many people know him for his other actions. For instance, not many people would know that Sinatra was a major supporter and activist for civil rights his entire life. Although, singing is why he’s famous and how everyone identifies with him, back in the 40’s and 50’s he was also known as a great activist against discrimination and prejudice to blacks. Besides that, he’s known for his singing because he has such a magnificent voice that he perfected throughout his career. He is truly an inspiration for everyone.
Frank Sinatra sang for many years, but before he retired for good, he decided to give back. So, in Palm Springs, California, he built and funded the Anthony Martin Sinatra Medical Education Center in honor of his father who had passed away only a few weeks before the opening. After that, he began to take a more political presence in his life like his mother. He started advocating for Kennedy and later Nixon to be Presidents. After the whole election, Frank decided to finally relax and take it easy and to travel around for fun for a long time.
In his last years, Frank began to show signs of dementia. On May 14, 1998, Francis Albert Sinatra died of a heart attack at the age of 82. Sinatra’s final words were, “I’m losing” to his wife after she had told him to keep fighting. The next day, the lights were dimmed in Las Vegas for 10 minutes and the empire state building’s lights were turned blue, all in his honor. Frank left behind a legacy that can never be taken from him as one of the greatest men on Earth.
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