Editing Frank Sinatra (section)

== Personal life ==
{{Main|Personal life of Frank Sinatra}}
[[File:Sinatra family 1949.jpg|thumb|alt=Photo family portrait of a husband, wife, two young children, and an infant.|Family portrait, 1949. Sinatra with (from left) [[Nancy Sinatra|Nancy]], [[Tina Sinatra|Tina]], Nancy Barbato and [[Frank Sinatra Jr.|Frank Jr.]]]]
Sinatra was married to Nancy Sinatra (née Barbato) from 1939 to 1951. The couple had three children, [[Nancy Sinatra|Nancy]] (born 1940), [[Frank Sinatra Jr.|Frank Jr.]] (1944–2016), and [[Tina Sinatra|Tina]] (born 1948).<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/05/98/sinatra/94184.stm|title=Frank Sinatra's love and marriage|work=BBC News|date=May 15, 1998|access-date=October 9, 2015|archive-date=December 8, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208215831/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/special_report/1998/05/98/sinatra/94184.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Fox |first1=Margalit |title=Nancy Barbato Sinatra, an Idol's First Wife and Lasting Confidante, Dies at 101 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/14/obituaries/nancy-barbato-sinatra-dead.html |access-date=July 14, 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=July 14, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180714053447/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/14/obituaries/nancy-barbato-sinatra-dead.html |archive-date=July 14, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Sinatra met Barbato in [[Long Branch, New Jersey]], in the summer of 1934{{sfn|Santopietro|2008|p=37}} while working as a [[lifeguard]].{{sfn|Hazard|2007|p=99}} He agreed to marry her after an incident at "The Rustic Cabin" that led to his arrest.{{efn|While working at "The Rustic Cabin" in 1939, he became involved in a dispute between his girlfriend, Toni Della Penta, who suffered a miscarriage, and Nancy Barbato, a stonemason's daughter. After Della Penta attempted to tear off Barbato's dress, Sinatra ordered Barbato away and told Della Pinta that he would marry Barbato, several years his junior, because she was pregnant. Della Penta went to the police, and Sinatra was arrested on a morals charge for seduction. After a fight between Della Penta and Dolly, Della Penta was later arrested herself.{{sfn|Wilson|Wilson|2011}} Sinatra married Barbato that year,{{sfn|Turner|2004|p=15}} and Nancy Sinatra was born the following year.{{sfn|Goldstein|1982|p=8}}}} Sinatra had numerous extramarital affairs,{{sfn|Kelley|1986|pp=62–64}} and gossip magazines published details of affairs with women including [[Marilyn Maxwell]], [[Lana Turner]] and [[Joi Lansing]].{{sfn|Kelley|1986|p=127}}<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 3, 2021 |title=Frank Sinatra was told that Marilyn Monroe was murdered, new book claims |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/frank-sinatra-marilyn-monroe-b1859014.html |access-date=October 23, 2023 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>{{efn|Turner later said the statements were not true in her 1992 autobiography, saying, "The closest things to dates Frank and I enjoyed were a few box lunches at MGM."{{Sfn|Summers|Swan|2010|p=157}}}}

{{quote box|width=22em|bgcolor=#c6dbf7|align=left|quote="Frank attracted women. He couldn't help it. Just to look at him—the way he moved, and how he behaved—was to know that he was a great lover and true gentleman. He adored the company of women and knew how to treat them. I had friends whose husbands were 'players', and every time the husbands had affairs my friends were showered with gifts. Well, I was constantly showered with gifts, but no matter what temptations Frank may have had while I wasn't around, he made me feel so safe and loved that I never became paranoid about losing him."|source=—Barbara Sinatra on Sinatra's popularity with women.{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=219}}}}

Sinatra was married to Hollywood actress [[Ava Gardner]] from 1951 to 1957. It was a turbulent marriage with many well-publicized fights and altercations.{{Sfn|Kelley|1986|p=202}} The couple formally announced their separation on October 29, 1953, through MGM.{{sfn|Kelley|1986|p=229}} Gardner filed for divorce in June 1954, at a time when she was dating matador [[Luis Miguel Dominguín]],{{sfn|Wayne|2004|p=15}} but the divorce was not settled until 1957.{{sfn|Sonneborn|2002|p=79}} Sinatra continued to feel very strongly for her,{{sfn|Sonneborn|2002|p=79}} and they remained friends for life.{{Sfn|Santopietro|2008|p=221}}

In 1957, Sinatra moved to a home in [[Rancho Mirage, California]], called The Compound.<ref name="Baker2008">{{cite book |author=Christopher P. Baker |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dtUqQKw2H9EC |title=Explorer's Guide Palm Springs & Desert Resorts: A Great Destination (Explorer's Great Destinations) |date=3 November 2008 |publisher=The Countryman Press |isbn=978-1-58157-971-0 |page=117}}</ref>

Sinatra reportedly broke off engagements to [[Lauren Bacall]] in 1958{{sfn|Lahr|2000|pp=76–77}} and [[Juliet Prowse]] in 1962.{{sfn|Rojek|2004|pp=107–108}} He was romantically linked to [[Marilyn Monroe]], [[Pat Sheehan (model)|Pat Sheehan]], [[Vikki Dougan]], and [[Kipp Hamilton]].<ref>Clemens, Samuel. "Hollywood's Irish Lass", ''[[Classic Images]]''. p.13. July 2022</ref> Sinatra and [[Mia Farrow]] were married on July 19, 1966, and the couple divorced in August 1968.{{Sfn|Santopietro|2008|pp=361, 398}} They remained close friends for life,{{Sfn|Santopietro|2008|p=361}} and in a 2013 interview, Farrow said that Sinatra might be the father of her son, [[Ronan Farrow]] (born 1987).<ref name="GuardianFarrow">{{cite web | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/02/woody-allen-son-ronan-frank-sinatra-mia-farrow | title=Mia Farrow: Woody Allen's son Ronan may be Frank Sinatra's | work=The Guardian | date=October 2, 2013 | access-date=October 7, 2015 | author=Shoard, Catherine | archive-date=October 7, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007123549/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/oct/02/woody-allen-son-ronan-frank-sinatra-mia-farrow | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/10/mia-farrow-children-family-scandal | title = Mia Farrow and Eight of Her Children Speak Out on Their Lives, Frank Sinatra, and the Scandals They've Endured| work = [[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | date=October 2, 2013 | access-date=October 2, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031041558/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2013/10/mia-farrow-children-family-scandal | archive-date=October 31, 2013}}</ref> In a 2015 ''CBS Sunday Morning'' interview, Nancy Sinatra dismissed the claim as "nonsense". She said that her father had a [[vasectomy]] years before Farrow's birth.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Heller|first=Corinne|url=http://www.eonline.com/news/642284/nancy-sinatra-opens-up-about-frank-sinatra-sister-mia-farrow-and-ronan-farrow-paternity-rumor|title=Nancy Sinatra Opens Up About Frank Sinatra, Mia Farrow & Son Ronan|work=E! Online|access-date=November 6, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=November 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107032011/http://www.eonline.com/news/642284/nancy-sinatra-opens-up-about-frank-sinatra-sister-mia-farrow-and-ronan-farrow-paternity-rumor|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6523895/ronan-farrow-frank-sinatra-son-nancy-sinatra Ronan Farrow Is Frank Sinatra's Son? Nancy Sinatra Says That's 'Nonsense']. ''Billboard''. April 2, 2015.</ref>

Sinatra was married to [[Barbara Marx]] from 1976 until his death.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/8556824/My-life-with-Frank-Sinatra.html | title=My life with Frank Sinatra | work=The Daily Telegraph | agency=June 5, 2011 | access-date=October 7, 2015 | author=Elsworth, Catherine | archive-date=January 21, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121040603/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/features/8556824/My-life-with-Frank-Sinatra.html | url-status=live }}</ref> The couple married on July 11, 1976, at [[Sunnylands]], in [[Rancho Mirage, California]], the estate of media magnate [[Walter Annenberg]].{{sfn|Sinatra|1986|pp=249–250}}

Sinatra was close friends with [[Jilly Rizzo]],{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=94}} songwriter Jimmy Van Heusen, golfer [[Ken Venturi]], comedian [[Pat Henry (comedian)|Pat Henry]], baseball manager [[Leo Durocher]], and president [[John F. Kennedy]] (for whom he organized an [[United States presidential inaugural balls|inaugural ball]] with [[Peter Lawford]]).{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=3}} In his spare time, he enjoyed listening to classical music.{{sfn|Friedwald|1995|p=21}} He swam daily in the Pacific Ocean.{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=95}} He often played golf with Venturi at the course in Palm Springs, where he lived in the house [[Twin Palms]] he had commissioned from [[E. Stewart Williams]] in 1947{{sfn|Sinatra|1986|p=242}}<ref>{{cite web |title=History |url=https://sinatrahouse.com/about-twin-palms/ |website=The Sinatra House |date=May 2, 2011 |access-date=December 27, 2023}}</ref> He liked painting, reading, and building model railways.{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=128}}

Though Sinatra was critical of the church on numerous occasions{{Sfn|Kelley|1986|p=493}} and had a [[Albert Einstein's religious views|pantheistic, Einstein-like view of God]] in his earlier life,<ref name=religion>{{cite news|url=http://sinatrafamily.com/forum/29275-Frank-Sinatra-s-1963-Playboy-Magazine-Interview.htm|title=Frank Sinatra's February 1963 Playboy Magazine Interview|last=Hyams|first=Joe|date=February 1963|work=Playboy|access-date=August 19, 2014|archive-date=October 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009140229/http://sinatrafamily.com/forum/29275-Frank-Sinatra-s-1963-Playboy-Magazine-Interview.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> he was inducted into the Catholic [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]] in 1976,<ref>{{Cite news|title=Saturday Review|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sydney-morning-herald-frank-sinatra/79447815/|access-date=June 13, 2021|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald| date=August 3, 1985 | page=41 |language=en}}</ref> and he turned to [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]] for healing after his mother died in a plane crash in 1977. He died as a practicing Catholic and had a Catholic burial.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20125409,00.html|title=A Swinger with Swagger|work=People|date=June 1, 1998|first1=Alex|last1=Tresniowski|first2=Richard|last2=Lacayo|access-date=August 17, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924150106/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20125409,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Style and personality ===
Sinatra was known for his immaculate sense of style.{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=131}} He spent lavishly on expensive custom-tailored tuxedos and stylish pin-striped suits, which made him feel wealthy and important and that he was giving his very best to the audience.{{sfn|Santopietro|2008|p=51}}{{sfn|Kelley|1986|p=51}} He was also obsessed with cleanliness—while with the Tommy Dorsey band, he developed the nickname "Lady Macbeth" because of frequent showering and switching his outfits.{{sfn|Levinson|2001|p=116}} His deep blue eyes earned him the popular nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes".{{sfn|Sirvaitis|2010|p=23}}

[[File:Frank Sinatra in 1955.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Sinatra in 1955]]
For Santopietro, Sinatra was the personification of America in the 1950s: "cocky, eye on the main chance, optimistic, and full of the sense of possibility."{{sfn|Santopietro|2008|p=231}} Barbara Sinatra wrote, "A big part of Frank's thrill was the sense of danger that he exuded, an underlying, ever-present tension only those closest to him knew could be defused with humor."{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=3}} [[Cary Grant]], a friend of Sinatra, stated that Sinatra was the "most honest person he'd ever met", who spoke "a simple truth, without artifice which scared people", and was often moved to tears by his performances.{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=224}} Jo-Caroll Dennison commented that he possessed "great inner strength" and that his energy and drive were "enormous."{{sfn|Summers|Swan|2010|p=151}} A workaholic, he reportedly only slept four hours a night on average.{{sfn|Santopietro|2008|p=16}} Throughout his life, Sinatra had mood swings and bouts of mild to severe [[Depression (mood)|depression]],{{sfn|Sinatra|Coplon|2000|p=47}} stating to an interviewer in the 1950s that "I have an over-acute capacity for sadness as well as elation."{{sfn|Summers|Swan|2010|p=218}} Barbara Sinatra stated that he would "snap at anyone for the slightest misdemeanor",{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=148}} while Van Heusen said that when Sinatra got drunk, it was "best to disappear."{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=155}}

Sinatra's mood swings often developed into violence, directed at people he felt had crossed him, particularly journalists who gave him scathing reviews, publicists, and photographers.{{sfn|Kelley|1986|pp=249–250}} According to Rojek, he was "capable of deeply offensive behavior that smacked of a persecution complex."{{sfn|Rojek|2004|p=141}} He received negative press for fights with [[Lee Mortimer]] in 1947, photographer Eddie Schisser in [[Houston]] in 1950, Judy Garland's publicist [[Jim Byron]] on the [[Sunset Strip]] in 1954,{{sfn|Kelley|1986|pp=249–250}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3405214/sinatra_vs_jim_byron/|title=Sinatra, Press Agent Trade Blows, Few of Which Connect|work=Oneonta Star ([[Oneonta, New York]])|date=December 10, 1954|page=1|access-date=October 12, 2015|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|archive-date=December 22, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222102043/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3405214/sinatra_vs_jim_byron/|url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> and for a confrontation with ''[[Washington Post]]'' journalist [[Maxine Cheshire]] in 1973, in which he implied that she was a cheap prostitute.{{sfn|Rojek|2004|p=141}}{{efn|Rojek states that Sinatra verbally assaulted Cheshire at a party in 1973, remarking, "Get away from me, you scum. Go home and take a bath{{nbsp}}... You're nothing but a two-dollar cunt. You know what that means, don't you? You've been laying down for two dollars all your life". According to Rojek, Sinatra then proceeded to place two-dollar bills in her wine glass and remarked, "Here's two dollars, baby, that's what you're used to."{{sfn|Rojek|2004|p=141}}}} His feud with then-''[[Chicago Sun Times]]'' columnist [[Mike Royko]] began when Royko wrote a column questioning why Chicago police offered free protection to Sinatra when he had his own security. Sinatra wrote an angry letter in response, calling Royko a "pimp" and threatening to "punch you in the mouth" for speculating that he wore a [[toupée]].<ref>[https://lettersofnote.com/2009/11/30/youre-nothing-but-a-pimp/ You're Nothing but a Pimp] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200603045758/https://lettersofnote.com/2009/11/30/youre-nothing-but-a-pimp/ |date=June 3, 2020 }} ''lettersofnote.com'' (November 30, 2009); retrieved April 18, 2020</ref>

Sinatra was also known for his generosity,{{sfn|Sinatra|2011|p=146}} particularly after his comeback. Kelley notes that when [[Lee J. Cobb]] nearly died from a heart attack in June 1955, Sinatra flooded him with "books, flowers, delicacies", paid his hospital bills, and visited him daily, telling him that his "finest acting" was yet to come.{{sfn|Kelley|1986|pp=251–252}}

=== Alleged organized-crime links and Cal Neva Lodge ===
[[File:LuckyLucianoSmaller.jpeg|thumb|upright|Mobster [[Lucky Luciano]]]]
Sinatra became the stereotype of the "tough working-class Italian American", something which he embraced. He said that if it had not been for his interest in music, he would have likely ended up in a life of crime.{{sfn|McNally|2015|p=50}} [[Willie Moretti]] was Sinatra's godfather and the notorious [[underboss]] of the [[Genovese crime family]], and he helped Sinatra in exchange for kickbacks and was reported to have intervened in releasing Sinatra from his contract with Tommy Dorsey.{{sfn|Sifakis|2005|p=420}} Sinatra was present at the Mafia [[Havana Conference]] in 1946,{{sfn|Sifakis|2005|p=419}} and the press learned of his being there with [[Lucky Luciano]]. One newspaper published the headline "Shame, Sinatra".{{sfn|Lahr|2000|p=63}} He was reported to be a good friend of mobster [[Sam Giancana]],{{sfn|Santopietro|2008|p=343}} Kelley quoted Jo-Carrol Silvers that Sinatra "adored" [[Bugsy Siegel]] and boasted to friends about him and how many people Siegel had killed.{{sfn|Kelley|1986|pp=124–125}} Kelley says that Sinatra and mobster [[Joseph Fischetti]] had been good friends from 1938 onward and acted like "Sicilian brothers".{{sfn|Kelley|1986|p=135}} She also states that Sinatra and [[Hank Sanicola]] were financial partners with [[Mickey Cohen]] in the gossip magazine ''Hollywood Night Life''.{{sfn|Kelley|1986|p=176}} (Johnny) Roselli's membership in the Friars Club in Beverly Hills was sponsored by celebrity singer and Friars Club abbot Frank Sinatra.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bash |first1=Avi |last2=Niotta |first2=J. Michael |year=2021 |title=Logo: Images of America Los Angeles Underworld |publisher=Arcadia Publishing |location=South Carolina |isbn=978-1-4671-0638-2 |page=89 |quote=...But when newly sponsored friar Johnny Roselli grew wise, he insisted on a one-fifth partnership.  Roselli's membership was sponsored by celebrity singer and Friars Club abbot Frank Sinatra}}</ref>

The FBI kept records amounting to 2,403 pages on Sinatra, who was a natural target with his alleged Mafia ties, his ardent [[New Deal]] politics, and his friendship with [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1075739|title=Sinatra: The FBI Files|newspaper=NPR|access-date=June 14, 2008|archive-date=January 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108171522/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1075739|url-status=live}}</ref> The FBI kept him under surveillance for almost five decades beginning in the 1940s. The documents include accounts of Sinatra as the target of death threats and extortion schemes.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/march99/sinatra7.htm|title=AKA Frank Sinatra|newspaper=The Washington Post Magazine|access-date=June 14, 2008|date=March 6, 1999|archive-date=July 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080726152122/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/daily/march99/sinatra7.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The FBI documented that Sinatra was losing esteem with the Mafia as he grew closer to President Kennedy, whose younger brother Attorney General [[Robert F. Kennedy]] was leading a crackdown on organized crime.{{sfn|Kelley|1986|pp=327–329}} Sinatra said he was not involved: "Any report that I fraternized with goons or racketeers is a vicious lie."{{sfn|McNally|2015|p=49}}

In 1960, Sinatra bought a share in the [[Cal Neva Lodge & Casino]], a casino hotel on the south shore of [[Lake Tahoe]]. Sinatra built the Celebrity Room theater, which attracted his show business friends [[Red Skelton]], [[Marilyn Monroe]], [[Victor Borge]], [[Joe E. Lewis]], [[Lucille Ball]], [[Lena Horne]], [[Juliet Prowse]], the [[McGuire Sisters]], and others. By 1962, he reportedly held a 50-percent share in the hotel.{{Sfn|Kelley|1986|pp=347–348, 355}} Sinatra's gambling license was temporarily suspended by the [[Nevada Gaming Control Board]] in 1963 after Giancana was spotted on the premises.<ref>{{cite web|last=Griffith|first=Martin|url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-03-31-lake-tahoe-rat-pack-casino_N.htm|title=Frank Sinatra's Lake Tahoe casino shuts down |work=USA Today|date=March 31, 2010|access-date=July 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131204182309/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2010-03-31-lake-tahoe-rat-pack-casino_N.htm|archive-date=December 4, 2013}}</ref>{{efn|According to Kelley, Giancana blamed Sinatra for the ordeal and was fuming at the abuse he had given to the commission's chairman Ed Olsen. The two men never spoke again.{{sfn|Kelley|1986|pp=363–364}}}} Due to ongoing pressure from the FBI and Nevada Gaming Commission on mobster control of casinos, Sinatra agreed to give up his share in Cal Neva and the Sands.{{sfn|Waldman|Donovan|1999|p=139}} That year, his son [[Frank Sinatra Jr.#Kidnapping|Frank Jr. was kidnapped]] but was eventually released unharmed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/nashua-telegraph-sixties-considered-deca/170638629/|title=Sixties Considered Decade of Stress in Movie World|work=Nashua Telegraph ([[Nashua, New Hampshire]])|date=December 18, 1969|page=28|access-date=October 12, 2015|via=Newspapers.com|archive-date=November 26, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151126064602/https://www.newspapers.com/image/74976357/?terms=Frank%2BSinatra|url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> Sinatra's gambling license was restored in February 1981, following support from [[Ronald Reagan]].{{Sfn|Santopietro|2008|p=408}}