Tina Sinatra, the youngest child of legendary singer Frank Sinatra, has opened up about her father's famous wives and his tumultuous personal life, as she brings his story to the West End stage with the new musical Sinatra The Musical. The 78-year-old producer insists the show tells the story “like it was,” without pulling any punches.
Tina’s Early Years and Family Dynamics
Tina was just six months old when her father left his first wife, Nancy, to set up home with actress Ava Gardner. She recalls that she didn’t realize her father was famous until she was four or five, and she first saw him perform at age seven in Las Vegas. Despite the highly publicized triangle, Tina says she never heard Frank, Nancy, or Ava say a bad word about one another. “Here were three human beings caught up in this tumultuous, highly publicised triangle,” she reflects.
Relationship with Ava Gardner
Tina describes her relationship with Ava as warm, noting that Ava taught her how to tie her shoelaces when she was seven or eight. Their bond grew stronger in Tina's late teens, with visits in London and New York. “She was shy, reclusive and widely misrepresented in the press,” Tina says. She credits Ava as “the love of his life” but acknowledges that the affair tarnished Frank’s reputation while her career flourished.
Controversy and Control of Narrative
Tina is critical of unauthorized biographer Kitty Kelley, whose 1986 book she believes caused Frank’s diverticulitis through relentless media pursuit. She’s glad to regain control of the narrative with the musical, which covers the 1940s and 1950s. “One of the things I’m proudest of in this new show is how we present Ava in a true light,” she says. The show also addresses the press’s anti-Italian bias and their delight in calling him “Mr Gardner” during his career slump.
Frank Sinatra’s Mother and Comeback
Actress Jenna Russell plays Frank’s formidable mother, Dolly, who was killed in a plane crash in 1977. “She was his greatest supporter and his sternest critic,” Russell says. Frank’s career rebounded after winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity (1953), despite rumors of Mafia pressure on the studio. Tina notes that Frank never wrote an autobiography because he “wouldn’t talk in print about anyone else.”
Relationships with Other Women
Tina addresses rumors about Frank’s affairs, including Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Juliet Prowse. She dismisses the idea that Ronan Farrow could be Frank’s son, stating that Frank had a vasectomy in the early 1970s, while Ronan was born in 1987. “I told this to the New York Times but nobody wants to believe it,” she says. Regarding Mia Farrow, whom Frank married when he was 50 and she was 21, Tina calls it “silly” and a “midlife crisis.”
Final Years and Legacy
Tina cut off relations with Frank’s fourth wife, Barbara Marx, after she called to inform them of his death on May 14, 1998, denying them the chance to say goodbye. “I never, ever forgave her for that,” Tina says. She has seen the musical multiple times and cries every night. “Pop was no angel but this sets the record straight. I’m proud of that,” she concludes. Sinatra The Musical is booking at the Aldwych Theatre, London, until April 10.
