Mentioned in the song "Hey Manhattan!" by Paddy McAloon (aka "Prefab Sprout").
Mentioned in the song "Its My Life" by Bon Jovi.
Named Entertainer of the Century in 2000.
Named Humanitarian of the Year by the Variety Clubs of America in 1983.
On 14 May 1998, his last day of life, his family drove him to the hospital, frantically running stop signs and red lights. However, traffic was unusually light at that time, since many Americans were at home watching the final episode of the TV show "Seinfeld" (1990).
On 20 May 1998, his funeral service was held at the Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, California. Stars in attendance included Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck, Robert Wagner, Jack Lemmon, Sidney Poitier, Jack Nicholson, Nancy Davis, Jerry Lewis, Wayne Newton, Johnny Carson, Milton Berle, Bruce Springsteen, Debbie Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, Bob Dylan, Tom Selleck, Tony Bennett, Mickey Rooney, Shirley MacLaine, Robert Stack, Mia Farrow, Bob Newhart, Don Rickles, Sophia Loren,
On May 10, 1964, Film Star Brad Dexter (Magnificent Seven, etc.) saved both Frank Sinatra's Life and the Life of Ruth Koch (wife of Producer Howard Koch), during production of the World War II film, None But the Brave, in Kaui, Hawaii. They were swimming at a beach when they were swept out to sea by the outgoing tide and nearly drowned in high billowing waves. Sinatra's co-star Dexter swam out and rescued them together and were not able to reach shore for nearly 45 minutes. In the waves, Sinatra reportedly became separated and murmured "Its all over...please take care of my kids...Im going to die..." Towards the end, both Sinatra and Koch had fallen unconscious for several minutes before two surfers arrived to help Dexter take them to shore. Dexter was later awarded a Red Cross medal for his bravery.
Once appeared as a head-and-shoulders shot on MasterCard credit card.
One-time son-in-law of John Farrow and Maureen O'Sullivan.
Owned an extensive collection of electric toy trains. He had coveted electric trains as a boy and set up a track that wove through the path of his career. The train started at a replica of the Hoboken train station.
Permanently injured one of his fingers while shooting a fight scene in The Manchurian Candidate (1962). In the scene, Sinatra threw a Karate chop and his hand went through a solid wooden table, breaking several bones in his little finger. The footage was left in the final cut.
Pictured on a 42¢ USA commemorative postage stamp issued 13 May 2008, one day before the 10th anniversary of his death.
Played the Stage Manager in a musical version of "Our Town" on a TV special in 1955, with Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint playing George and Emily. In that production, he introduced what would become another of his well-known signature songs: "Love and Marriage."
Received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 1971 Academy Awards for his many contributions to charity over the years. Bob Hope, who hosted the Oscars that year, remarked, "It's interesting how Sinatra announced his retirement, and they gave him a humanitarian award". Sinatra himself hosted or co-hosted the Academy Awards four different times, in 1963, 1969, 1975 and 1985.
Reportedly kept a picture of Ava Gardner on his mirror long after their break up.
Second cousin of composer/arranger/conductor Raymond Sinatra. Ray Sinatra's father was a cousin of his father.
Served as a mentor to performer Harry Connick Jr., whom he referred to as "The Kid".
Sinatra saw Steve McQueen in his western TV series "Wanted: Dead or Alive" (1958) and requested him to take Sammy Davis Jr.'s role in Never So Few (1959). Davis had said in an interview he thought he was bigger than Sinatra in the entertainment world at that time. Since Davis' role in the film was originally written as a sidekick, it had to be re-written somewhat for McQueen. During filming they got along so well that Sinatra wanted McQueen to appear in Ocean's Eleven (1960) as the cowboy Louis Jackson. McQueen was all for it but was convinced otherwise by critic Hedda Hopper, who told him it would not be a wise career move to be known as a Sinatra flunky. McQueen passed on the film, and although there were no hard feelings his brief friendship with Sinatra came to an end.
Sinatra's valet George Jacobs said that his employer had derogatory nicknames for many of his friends, including "Sheeny" for Cary Grant, "Shanty" for Gene Kelly, "Jew" for Jerry Lewis, "The African Queen" for Johnny Mathis, and "Wop" for Dean Martin. His private plane was called "El Dago".
Some three decades late, the Hungarian-born actress Eva Bartok claimed that her daughter, Deana, born in 1957 during Bartok's marriage to the actor Curd Jürgens, was actually fathered by Sinatra, during a brief affair that he and Bartok had had following his breakup in 1956 with the sultry Ava Gardner. Sinatra never acknowledged paternity.