Frank Sinatra Jr dead at 72: Singer suffers heart attack while on tour
FRANK SINATRA JR, son of legendary singer Frank Sinatra, has died at the age of 72 following a heart attack.
Frank Sinatra Jr passed away aged 72 following a heart attack
The singer was due to perform a concert of his father's songs at the Peabody Auditorium on Wednesday night, but cancelled after falling ill.
Sinatra Jr cancelled his show after complaining of feeling lightheaded and was later admitted to hospital, according to TMZ.
The Sinatra family confirmed his death in a statement, revealing he suffered cardiac arrest while on tour in Daytona Beach, Florida.
The statement said the family was mourning the untimely passing of their son, brother, father and uncle.
He was due to perform at a concert in Florida but it was cancelled when he fell ill
The singer began his music career when he was 19
He is survived by his son Michael and sisters Nancy and Tina
Frank Sinatra Jr was famously kidnapped in Lake Tahoe in 1963 – when he was 19 – for a ransom of $240,000.
He was released two days after his father paid the amount demanded by the kidnappers, who also demanded all communication take place via untraceable pay phones.
One kidnapper confessed to his brother, who called the FBI and they were arrested within hours.
During their trial, their defence team claimed it was a publicity stunt to help the young singer's career, but there was no evidence to support the claim.
By the age of 19, the younger Sinatra had already begun pursuit a musical career of his own and would go on to work as his father's musical director and conductor until his death in 1998.
He previously explained that he was not bitter about never being as successful as his father
I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Frank Sinatra Jr and send my sympathy to Tina and Nancy and the Sinatra family.
— Tony Bennett (@itstonybennett) March 17, 2016
He was famously kidnapped from Lake Tahoe in 1963
He previously admitted that he was not bitter about never being as successful as his father.
He told the Daytona Beach News Journal: "I think in my generation, when I came along in the early '60s, the type of music that was in vogue in society in those days had moved on to another kind of music.
"I was trying to sell antiques in a modern appliance store."
Following his death, his sister Nancy shared the news with a Facebook post, which read: "Sleep warm Frankie…"
Tony Bennet wrote on Twitter: "I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Frank Sinatra Jr and send my sympathy to Tina and Nancy and the Sinatra family."
Frank Sinatra Jr is survived by his son Michael and sisters Nancy and Tina.