Frank Sinatra’s Daughter Said Some of Her Favorite Memories With the Singer Are Melancholy
Frank Sinatra’s youngest daughter Tina was born in 1948. Because of this, it’s impossible to remember a time before her father was a global star. He frequently traveled, both for work and relaxation, so she had to cherish the time she had with him. She said that while she has many fond memories of him, some of the best have a tinge of sadness to them.
Frank Sinatra’s daughter said he often took his children on trips
Tina said she was aware that her father was not an average dad from a young age.
“Your parents are everything to you,” she told AZ Central. “Mine was just a parent from a bit of a greater distance. He was at times very normal and at times when we would go see him perform, you’d realize, ‘Whoa, this is not what every other kid’s dad does.’ I think there was a little bit of awe.”
When the Sinatra children grew old enough, they would fly out to visit their father.
“Once we were all old enough to fly on our own, we would do that. We’d see more of him,” she explained. “We made many trips to Europe together, Dad and I. And New York. He showed me Hoboken for the first time. He walked me down Times Square for the first time when I was about 17 and I said how beautiful the sidewalks were with pebbles like in Olde England.”
Unfortunately, Sinatra had to shatter Tina’s charmed view of Times Square.
“He said, ‘Honey, those are wads of gum.'”
She shared one of her favorite memories with the singer
She explained that while she has many fond memories of her childhood, a family trip to Disneyland stands out.
“As a child I remember, gosh, to pick one, I guess the day he took us all to Disneyland — 500 people invited to a pre-opening,” she said. “A lot of our family friends and their children. And we took Sammy Davis Jr with us. He was recovering from losing his eye in the car accident so Dad said he was his fourth kid that day. We have great pictures of that.”
Still, some of her favorite memories are more melancholy, taking place near the end of his life.
“I have hundreds and I have to say several of them were near the end,” she said. “They weren’t necessarily happy but they were fulfilling. And I was aware that I was gifted with the time to have that with him. He didn’t leave us immediately.”
Frank Sinatra’s daughter said he was away a lot during her childhood
As Sinatra was often traveling or living in different cities, his visits were always an exciting affair for his children. Tina explained that they were inevitably always sad as well.
“Each of Dad’s visits was an emotional parabola: the eager anticipation of his arrival; the giddy joy of his company; a swelling apprehension as his departure drew near; the dull aching void he left in his wake,” she wrote in her book My Father’s Daughter: A Memoir. “When I summon the image of that needy little girl in that abandoned room, I feel just the same today.”
She wished her mother was more demanding with him and that he had been more consistent with his visits. Still, she is grateful for the time she had with Sinatra.
