Barbara Sinatra, the fourth wife of legendary American singer Frank Sinatra, has died of natural causes at her California home. In her later years, her philanthropy raised millions of dollars to help abused children.
Barbara Sinatra (left) at the Frank Sinatra Celebrity Invitational fundraiser in 2006 with organizer Tony Lobianco (right)Image: picture alliance/dpa/Zumapress
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Sinatra passed away Tuesday surrounded by her friends and family at her home in Rancho Mirage, California. She was 90. The news was announced by John Thoresen, director of the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center.
She was born Barbara Blakely in Bosworth, New Jersey, in 1927. She was a Las Vegas showgirl and a former model, as well as a prominent Palm Springs, California socialite even before she crossed paths with actor and singer Frank "Ol' Blue Eyes" Sinatra. Well before marrying the legendary crooner, she was interested in helping those less fortunate and used her connections to Hollywood royalty, including entertainers such as Dinah Shore, Marilyn Monroe, and Tony Curtis, to raise vast sums for a number of charitable causes.
Barbara and Frank Sinatra had been married for 22 years before his passing in 1998Image: picture alliance/dpa/AP Photo
Legendary couples
Barbara met actor and singer Frank Sinatra through her previous husband, Zeppo Marx of the Marx Brothers comedy team. The Sinatras married in 1976, Frank aged 60 and Barbara aged 49. They had been married 22 years when he died of a heart attack in 1998.
Frank had been previously married to Nancy Sinatra, mother of Nancy and Frank Jr, as well as actresses Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow.
Barbara recalled in her 2011 memoir "Lady Blue Eyes: My Life with Frank Sinatra" that Frank didn't ask her to marry him until she threatened to leave him. Their union proved to be the longest of Frank's marriages.
Frank Sinatra's women
When Frank Sinatra sang "I need you baby, to warm a lonely night," not many women refused the invitation. Here's a selection of the famous women in his life.
Image: AP
First love and wife: Nancy Barbato
They met in 1934 at a summer camp. While Nancy painted her nails on the porch, Frank would play love songs on his ukulele. They married in 1939. Nancy became the mother of his three children (Nancy, Frank, Tina). She always stayed at his side, even though she knew he was cheating on her, until they divorced in 1951. Nancy is still alive, and is now 98 years old.
According to the biography by J. Randy Taraborrelli, when Sinatra saw Lana Turner in "The Postman Always Rings Twice" in 1946, he immediately said: "I have to have her." He did, and their relationship was centered on sex. He left Nancy for the star. When he eventually returned to his wife, Lana found out about it in the newspapers - and cried on the shoulder of her friend Ava Gardner.
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Turbulent second marriage: Ava Gardner
Ironically, that same actress would cause Frank and Nancy Sinatra to divorce in 1951. He remarried instantly. With their public crises and scandals, Frank and Ava were a godsend for the tabloids. While her career in Hollywood was taking off, he was temporarily all washed up. Sinatra and Gardner separated two years later and divorced in 1957.
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Secret fiancée: Lauren Bacall
In 1957, after the death of her husband Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall found comfort in the arms of her longtime friend Frank. And she fell in love with him. In fact, the two were engaged, although Sinatra was hesitant and wanted to keep it a secret. But the tabloids found out and spread the news. Sinatra believed Bacall herself had broken the news - so he left her on the spot.
Image: picture-alliance/United Archives
The naked roommate: Marilyn Monroe
Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe were good friends and lived together after they separated from their respective spouses. Biographer Taraborrelli says their platonic relationship ended when Sinatra found her one morning standing by the open fridge, trying to decide between grapefruit or orange juice - in the nude. He allegedly wanted to propose to her in 1961, but she turned him down.
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Briefly engaged: Juliet Prowse
The two met during the shoot of "Can-Can" (picture). Sinatra and the dancer announced their engagement in 1962 but abandoned the plans shortly afterwards. According to "The Guardian," Prowse was more flattered than in love and preferred to focus on her career. "And after a few drinks he could be very difficult," she claimed.
Image: Imago/United Archives International
A very young third wife: Mia Farrow
When the actress married the over 50-year-old star in July 1966, she was 21. Whether because of the nearly absurd age difference or Farrow's need for more independence, the marriage did not last long, ending after two years. During that period, she made at least three new friends - Sinatra's children. After all, they were about her age.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Duet with daughter
All three of Sinatra children inherited their father's musical talent. Frank Jr. became a musician and later led his father's orchestra. Tina is a filmmaker. Nancy is the only one to have recorded a song with her father. Released in 1967, "Somethin 'Stupid" became a worldwide hit. This picture shows the two taking a break during the recording session.
Image: Getty Images/Keystone Features
More than just a film partner: Grace Kelly
Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra were both legendary seducers. According to biographer Wendy Leigh, just as Sinatra would jump at every opportunity, Kelly was constantly cheating on her husband, Prince Rainier of Monaco, landing in the arms of her old Hollywood chums: Marlon Brando, Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby - and Ol' Blue Eyes.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa
Rumored romance: Queen Soraya
Even the former wife of the Shah of Iran, then Queen Soraya, is rumored to be among Sinatra's conquests. Why not? After all, the Sultan of Swoon couldn't resist a beautiful woman. Judy Garland, Nancy Reagan and Jackie Onassis are also among the women on the list of his purported one-night stands.
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The fourth and last wife: Barbara Marx
So many marriages, so many women - but only Barbara, who he met in 1973, was exactly the right one. He found her so mature, beautiful and wise that he gave her a 17-carat diamond engagement ring. In her autobiography "Lady Blue Eyes," she wrote: "I was his companion, consultant, muse, psychiatrist and lover." They married in 1976 and stayed together until Sinatra's death in 1998.
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Giving back
In 1986, Frank and Barbara Sinatra founded the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center near Palm Springs. The nonprofit provides therapy and other support to young victims of physical, sexual and emotional abuse.
More than 20,000 children have been treated at the center since it opened and thousands more through videos it provides.
Barbara Sinatra remained active at the center until recently, Thoresen said, adding that she pushed for a video program last year and made sure the children had anything they needed.
In later years, as Mrs. Sinatra, Thoresen recalled that "she would say, 'I need a half-million dollars for this, so you do a concert and I get half the money.'"
She is survived by her son, Robert Oliver Marx, from her marriage to Zeppo Marx, and a granddaughter, Carina Blakeley Marx.
dv/kl (AP, Reuters)
Walking in big footsteps: famous musicians and their children
From Dylan to Sinatra: a number of famous musicians have passed their talent down to their progeny. We take a look at the careers of musicians' children who have themselves become stars.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Townsend
Jakob Dylan
Bob Dylan's youngest son Jakob is certainly nowhere near as famous as his father but is clearly a successful musician, winning two Grammys as singer in the rock band "The Wallflowers." Following in his father's footsteps, he recorded two folk albums. Be it soft or loud, Jakob is musically versatile and has certainly inherited a great deal of his father's talent.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Agostini
Norah Jones
The American soul singer, born Geetali Norah Jones Shankar, has a famous father: Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar. Making traditional music from India famous worldwide, he influenced Beatles' guitarist George Harrison and others. "Come Away With Me," her recording debut, gave Norah instant world fame and yielded seven Grammy awards.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa Sascha Radke
Jeff Buckley
As a singer and songwriter, his father Tim once performed with the greatest of his time, including Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix. Jeff's first and only studio album, "Grace," was a thorough success. His rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is considered one of the most famous cover versions ever. Three years after its release, Buckley drowned in a river, age 30.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Sony Legacy
Nancy Sinatra
Nancy's singing career peaked in the 1960s. "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" stormed the charts worldwide. The duets "Summer Wine" with Lee Hazelwood and "Something Stupid" with her father were also huge successes. For his film "Kill Bill," Quentin Tarantino unearthed Nancy Sinatra's song "Bang Bang." Her fame has meanwhile faded, but "Old Blue Eyes" continues to be venerated, also by Bob Dylan.
Image: Getty Images/Keystone Features
Eliot Sumner
As front man for The Police and as a solo artist, her father Gordon Sumner, alias Sting, is one of the most famous musicians of all time. Eliot has enjoyed musical success as well. Using the name "I Blame Coco," she landed a hit in 2011: "Self Machine." The 25-year-old appears on her current album "Information" under her real name.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/B. Pedersen
Julian Lennon
He's to be thanked for the Beatles hit "Hey Jude." Paul McCartney wrote it for Julian, who was sad over his parents's separation. Like his father John, Julian is a musician of multiple gifts and embarked on a successful career after his father was murdered. The physical and musical resemblance of father and son cannot be overlooked - or overheard. On the right: half-brother Sean.
Image: picture-alliance/PA Wire/I. West
Ziggy Marley
Along with several of his (probably 10) siblings and half-siblings - including Damien, Sharon, Stephen and other Marleys - the oldest son of the iconic reggae artist Bob Marley carries on the tradition and is considered one of today's foremost reggae artists. Along with musical gifts, Ziggy has a passion for football in common with his late father.
Rosanne Cash
Like her father Johnny, Rosanne is a country music icon. Since the 1980's, the Man in Black's eldest daugther has landed 11 No. 1 singles in the country charts. She often shared the stage with her father. Having passed age 60, Rosanne hasn't tired of performing. Last year, her newest album won three Grammys.
Image: Imago/ZUMA Press
Miley Cyrus
The famous country singer Billy Ray Cyrus had a first-hand view of his daughter's meteoric rise to fame, depicting her father in "Hannah Montana," the TV series that was her breakthrough. Initiating her singing career as a teenager, she's sold in the millions since. Drug abuse and nude poses split the audience but have not impaired her success.
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Montserrat Martí
Of course it's not just the children of rock and pop musicians who inherit the music gene. Martí was blessed with the exceptional voice of her mother, the Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé, regarded as one of the 20th century's top operatic singers. Mother and daughter have made several joint appearances. Author: Felix Schlagwein/rf