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| S P E C I A L | Sinatra: The songs, the voice, the style |
'Last of the great legends'
May 15, 1998
Web posted at: 6:44 p.m. EDT (2244 GMT)LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The death of entertainer Frank Sinatra has triggered an outpouring of sadness and tributes from fans, friends and colleagues.
A sampling:
"If I'm anything, I'm satisfied with the fact that he's no longer suffering." -- Joey Bishop, the last surviving member of the Rat Pack: Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford and Bishop.
"He was a superstar whose generous heart was as big as his talent. When he performed, he didn't just rent the stage, he owned it. Our hearts and sympathies are with Barbara and Frank's family." -- Bob and Dolores Hope.
"He was my uncle, he was my protector who always stood up for me, and he was my father figure. But mostly, he was my hero and my friend." -- singer Liza Minnelli.
"He was the first love of my life and he remained a true friend, always there when I needed him. I will miss him more than words can say." -- ex-wife and actress Mia Farrow.
"Today, the sound of heaven's chorus is a little brighter and more beautiful as our dear friend, Frank Sinatra, joins its ranks. -- Nancy and Ronald Reagan.
"When I became president, I had never met Frank Sinatra, although I was an enormous admirer of his. I had the opportunity after I became president to get to know him a little, to have dinner with him, to appreciate on a personal level what hundreds of millions of people around the world, including me, had appreciated from afar. I would like to offer my condolences to his wife and to his children ... I think every American would have to smile and say he did do it his way." -- President Clinton.
"One of Sinatra's favorite toasts to make with glass in hand was, 'May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.' The master is gone but his voice will live forever." -- singer Tony Bennett.
"Frank Sinatra was an incomparable personality whose impact will be felt for generations to come. Throughout his career, he was quick to express sincere appreciation for the support his music received around the world.
"Through his music, Frank Sinatra was a friend to millions. He is a comfort during sad times, and a co-celebrant at happy occasions. Frank Sinatra is a stranger to no one." -- the Sinatra family
"He was the epitome of what singing is all about, beautiful sound, smooth as silk, effortless, impeccable phrasing, stylish, intelligent and full of heart." -- singer Barbra Streisand.
"Frank Sinatra was a true original. He held the patent, the original blueprint on singing the popular song, a man who would have thousands of imitators but who, himself, would never be influenced by a single, solitary person." -- singer Mel Torme.
"He was my role model, my mentor, and most importantly, my friend. There will never, ever be another Francis Albert Sinatra. Nobody will ever come close." -- singer Vic Damone.
"I think, generally, he believed that he owed people a good show and that his private life was his own. ... He's had an unprecedented run of fame, but he's also had fame in the media, whether invited or not, and people have somehow brought those two together so that songs like 'My Way' resonate for him in ways that they don't for other people who have recorded that song." -- Leonard Mustazza, Sinatra biographer
"He said it like it is. He pulled no punches (and that) honesty came through in his recordings ... It was almost like he was singing in your living room." -- entertainer/songwriter Neil Sedaka.
"Frank Sinatra was not a fan of rock 'n' roll. He didn't think it was proper music, and he wasn't someone who supported it, and he'd spoken out about it. ... Later on, he seemed to be almost out of touch with what was happening in popular music. But, then, with the duets album and with all these stars in popular music running to link up with Frank Sinatra to sing with him, even if they weren't going to be in the studio with him ... really showed the kind of influence he still had even in the '80s and '90s on popular music. He's simply one of the voices of America, along with Billie Holiday." -- Chris Farley, music critic for Time
"It's the saddest day of my life." -- singer Eydie Gorme.
"Frank Sinatra was the alpha and omega of it all, the most influential singer and performer of all time." -- singer Tony Orlando
I'm going to miss him very much. He, in my opinion, is one of the greatest performers of all time ... It touched me very deeply when I heard ... All my love to you, Frank. I love you." -- singer Michael Jackson.
"I would say that half the population of the United States over the age of 40 was conceived while their parents were listening to his records. He played a great romantic role in the country. Most singers are pretty bland, mellifluous -- Bing Crosby put you to sleep, Sinatra got the blood flowing." -- author Gore Vidal.
"There will never be another him. You know, he's the idol. He was the original." -- director Martin Scorsese.
"He, of course, had his talent, his charisma and his voice. But he also had his personality -- warm, passionate. I had the chance to meet him and there was immediate sympathy between us ... He will not be replaced." -- French President Jacques Chirac.
"Frank Sinatra is one of the greatest performers of this century ... I have grown up with Frank Sinatra and he will be deeply missed." -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
"The world has now lost one of the most precious commodities. In all memories, from childhood to romance to the mature years, Frank has been with us in all times. He gave so much of himself and much more than people realized. It is a sad day today because Frank touched everyone in the world." -- actor Ernest Borgnine.
"I can't imagine life without Sinatra. And fortunately the work he left us with, he will remain famous and with us forever. Everybody in the world knows Frank Sinatra and almost everybody has a favorite Sinatra song ... so anywhere you went -- in any language -- people know him and know his music. We will have that forever." -- George Schlatter, Sinatra's producer and friend.
"Frank Sinatra was the 20th century. He was modern, he was complex, he had swing and he had attitude. He was the big bang of pop ... the man invented pop music. We won't see his like again." -- rock musician Bono of U2.
"He was legendary ... He was born with a chromosome they stopped making 82 years ago." -- Bill Zehme, Sinatra biographer.
From left, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Sinatra at a reunion in Santa Monica, California, on May 22, 1978
"Every one of us that sing learned something from Frank. You can't debate about who had the most beautiful voice or you'd be talking about Jerry Vale ... or Andy Williams, but there's much more to singing than having a beautiful sound, and most of us who sing don't have a beautiful sound. He had a great sound, and he also had a remarkable gift for interpretation of lyric, so that was the chief thing distinguishing Frank from the other fine singers." -- entertainer Steve Allen.
"Millions and millions of girls in bobby socks just went nuts over him in the World War II period, because here was a time when men were supposed to be strong and stoic like John Wayne, and not show their feelings. And then along comes Sinatra, who is just the opposite. I mean he shows every feeling. He is the first guy to come out and be vulnerable. He is the first guy to show that a tough guy can be vulnerable and intimate and express all these emotions, and still be masculine. And nobody had been able to do that before, and nobody has been able to do that as well ever since." -- Will Friedwald, Sinatra biographer.
"Frank Sinatra was born with that voice, you know. It's probably the greatest voice of the 20th century by far. In fact, his only rival would be Bing Crosby ... I once mentioned to Bing ... 'Frank Sinatra is a singer who comes only once in a lifetime,' and Bing says, 'Yeah, how come he had to come in my lifetime?'" -- James Bacon, Sinatra friend.
"I'm just glad that I met him and lived at the same time he did." -- singer Harry Connick Jr.
"It doesn't come any better than 'The Wee Small Hours of the Morning,' which was 16 songs on an album. You have got to remember there were no albums in the 1940s. There were just singles. So two songs dribbled out at a time. But an album allowed the novelist in Sinatra to step forward to paint on a much larger canvas." -- Jonathan Schwartz, radio personality.
"When it comes to swinging, Frank kicked ass." -- comedian Alan King.
"He was a revolutionary. What he did was, he became a sculptor and a musical painter by taking the full song, not just the music, but the lyrics, and weaving them together in a kind of a tapestry that nobody's ever done before. That's why he's gonna be remembered. He recorded over 1,800 songs, and they're gonna be played for the next 10 generations, in my fragile judgment." -- Jack Valenti, president, Motion Picture Association of America.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Message Board:
Special reports:
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- Legendary singer Frank Sinatra dies - May 15, 1998
- Sinatra examined at hospital, returns home - April 20, 1998
- Sinatra leaves hospital - February 12, 1998
- Sinatra in hospital for 'non-emergency' tests - February 10, 1998
- Sinatra hospitalized for testing - February 10, 1998
- Ol' Blue Eyes turns 82 - December 12, 1997
- Sinatra's doing 82nd birthday his way - December 12, 1997
- Sinatra gets his way on the Web - December 12, 1997
Related sites:
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- The Sinatra family Web site
- Barbara Sinatra Children's Center
- The Frank Sinatra Mailing List Home Page
- The International Sinatra Society
- Ring-a-ding-ding Page
- The Ultimate Band List - Frank Sinatra
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