Frank Sinatra Jr. dies at 72 from cardiac arrest

The son of a singing legend, Frank Sinatra Jr., died at 72 on Wednesday.
 By 
Johnny Lieu
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The son of a singing icon, Frank Sinatra Jr., died from a cardiac arrest on Wednesday. He was 72.

Sinatra Jr. continued his father's singing legacy, having a musical career of his own that lasted throughout his life. He died while on tour in Daytona, Florida, according to a short statement on the Sinatra family's website. He was due to perform on Wednesday at The Peabody in Daytona Beach as part of his "Sinatra Sings Sinatra" tour.

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable



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"The Sinatra family mourn the untimely passing of their son, brother, father, uncle, Frank Sinatra, Jr.," the statement read.

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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Born Francis Wayne Sinatra on Jan. 10, 1944, he was the middle child of father Frank Sinatra and first wife Nancy Barbato Sinatra, adopting the Sinatra Jr. name professionally. Sinatra Jr. has said he rarely saw his father who was always performing or in movies.

Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped and held for ransom at the age of 19 while on tour in 1963. His father Frank Sinatra reportedly paid close to $240,000 at the time for his release. 


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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

The stigma of allegations that it was a fake kidnapping haunted Sinatra Jr. for years, and rapidly gained him fame after the incident, he told The Guardian in 2002.

Celebrities took to Twitter to express their sorrow at the news of his death.




Married in 1998 to Cynthia McMurrey, they divorced in 2000. Sinatra Jr. is survived by son Michael and sisters Nancy and Tina Sinatra.

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Topics Music

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Johnny Lieu

Mashable Australia's Web Culture Reporter.Reach out to me on Twitter at @Johnny_Lieu or via email at jlieu [at] mashable.com

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