Celebrity Graveland

December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998

“The Chairman of the Board.” “The Voice.”  “Old Blue Eyes.” Francis Albert Sinatra had a lot of names.  But, mostly, everyone just called him “Frank.”

Hoboken, New Jersey’s favorite son was one of the largest entertainers in the world for decades.  His smooth and unmistakable baritone catapulted him into super-stardom and made him the idol of a generation. From his early days singing with bandleaders Harry James and Tommy Dorsey to his unprecedented success as a solo artist, Sinatra wowed audiences and radio listeners with his rich voice and unique phrasing.

He was also a decent actor.  He resurrected his somewhat waning career – with the help of his then-wife, Ava Gardner – by portraying Angelo Maggio in 1953’s  From Here to Eternity. The performance earned him a Best Supporting Actor Oscar and opened the door for what would be a very productive second chance.  More movies and albums followed and Frank enjoyed the pinnacle of his career throughout the 1950’s and ’60’s.

Sinatra was the defacto leader of the Hollywood/Vegas boys club, “The Rat Pack” (though he preferred the term “The Summit”) a group of superstars including Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and actor Peter Lawford.  But, Sinatra was the brightest star. Even in that blinding constellation.

In his later career, Frank Sinatra continued to record. He continued to perform.  He never really slowed down until the very end.  On May 14th, 1998, Francis Albert Sinatra died following a heart attack in Los Angeles.  His last words were reportedly “I’m losing.”  He may have had his ups and downs in his life.  He may have been abusive.  He may have had ties to the mob.  He may have, at times, been a miserable son-of-a-bitch.  But he never lost.

Burial

Desert Memorial Park – Cathedral City, CA

UPDATE 01/03/21 – Apparently Frank has a new marker now. Time to head back to the desert for an updated pic.

Specific Location

Section B-8, #151; South end of the park; 4 spaces east of the road, just north of a curbside tree.

This entry was posted on February 20, 2013 at 8:04 pm and is filed under Desert Memorial Park with tags Actors, Desert Memorial Park, From Here To Eternity, Rat Pack, Singers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.