You have probably heard of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra as they were two of the most popular singers of their time. Sinatra set a standard that rising stars would surpass in later years, and Dean Martin was such a celebrity that Bob Dylan has covered his music for hit television shows.
Unfortunately, these two icons have more in common than just their careers in music and film. Let’s take a look back at the two of them, how their lives converged and the tragedy they both shared.
Frank Sinatra had an incredible career
Biography.com describes Frank Sinatra as someone who has always loved art. He started singing in local nightclubs in the 30’s, and after getting the attention of band leader Harry James, he was asked to join Tommy Dorsey’s band. The rest seemed a breeze for Sinatra as it landed one hit at a time until he decided to start his own career.
His solo career earned him recognition for his dreamy voice, which encouraged him to try film. He was a natural at film too, and as his career went up and down he always remained a household name. In the mid-1960s, the Rat Pack and Sinatra’s relationship with Dean Martin were added.
Dean Martin’s legendary career
Biography.com states that Dean Martin was born as Dino Paul Crocetti. As a teenager, he was a bit of a troublemaker, but he always enjoyed music.
Martin also began singing in nightclubs and was eventually discovered by Cleveland band leader Sammy Watkins, with whom he toured until he changed his name in 1940.
Eventually he got record deals, got a radio show, and started appearing on television shows. He succeeded in all of these areas as he loved to entertain. Eventually he found his way to the Rat Pack and Frank Sinatra.
Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra became good friends
Legendary entertainer Frank Sinatra has a heartbreaking connection to the ‘Seinfeld’ finale
Have you ever heard of the Brat Pack? Well, the term was inspired by a different group of artists. The original Rat Pack was linked to Las Vegas and a group of famous friends namely Errol Flynn, Nat King Cole, Mickey Rooney, Jerry Lewis and Cesar Romero.
The origins of the name are unknown, but the term was later recycled to fit another collection of young, male artists. This group included Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra, although they did not use the term. They preferred “The Summit” or “The Clan”.
Interestingly, John F. Kennedy’s brother-in-law was part of that group too, and Kennedy would hang out in Las Vegas partying with the boys. Whenever a member of the Rat Pack performed in Las Vegas, the other members would show up to join in and cheer on the audience. This resulted in Martin and Sinatra performing together often.
Tragedy strikes the two friends at different times
The Rat Pack had a great time in Vegas. They drank, joked, performed, and even performed together in Ocean’s Eleven. Unfortunately, fate played a cruel hand on both Sinatra and Dean.
In 1987 Dean Martin’s son, Dean Paul Martin, died in a plane crash in the San Gorgonio Mountains, California. However, 10 years earlier, Sinatra’s mother died in exactly the same way. In a plane crash over the same mountain range.
Both men were able to come to terms with their tragedies, but were deeply impressed by what happened. The Las Vegas Sun reported that Sinatra actually performed the same night his mother was killed, hoping the plane was simply delayed and believing the show had to go on. While both names will go down in history, this shared tragedy likely shaped their friendship and history.
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