England is a modern singer like Sinatra. Biography of Frank Sinatra. Return to activism and Oscar

Frank Sinatra is a great actor and great musician who became a real symbol of America and its main star for many, many years. His singing career began back in the 40s, and by its end it had reached such a height that even during his lifetime the artist was considered a true classic of New World music. He was called the standard of taste and style. His velvety voice sounded on all radios huge country. That is why even after the death of the great master, his songs still remain important milestone in the history of the United States and the entire music industry of the planet.

But how much do we know about that person whose songs we have probably heard hundreds of times? How was his life and stage career? Which ones are the most important stages did his fate contain? Do we know all this about Frank Sinatra? Probably not. That is why our article today, dedicated to the great actor and musician, will certainly be very relevant.

Early years, childhood and family of Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra was born into a family of Italian immigrants who arrived in the United States at an early age. Together with all their simple belongings, they settled on the east coast of the United States, thus beginning a new chapter in their lives.

The father of our today's hero was from Italian city Palermo. During his life in America, he tried a huge variety of professions - he was a loader in shipyards, a bartender, a fireman, and even made a living for some time by entering the ring as a professional boxer. The mother of a future musician is a completely different matter.

All her life she led a quiet and measured life. For a long time she was an ordinary American housewife, however, having put her son on his feet, she suddenly decided to build a career and began working as the chairman of the city branch of the Democratic Party. As for Frank himself, his life in early childhood was the most ordinary. There was no poverty or deliberate wealth in her. The only bright spot in his life has always been music.

From the age of thirteen he made money by singing, performing in bars hometown Hoboken and accompanying himself on a miniature “guitar” - a ukulele. At first, everything went quite normally, but some time later the first performances on the radio followed, which, in fact, allowed the future great singer to decide what he wanted to be in adulthood.

Frank Sinatra - "My Way"

In the mid-thirties, Frank Sinatra, together with his then friends, formed the group “The Hoboken Four,” with which he very soon appeared at the “Big Bowes Amateur Hour” competition for young talents. The performance turned out to be successful, and the next month the whole team went on a national tour of US cities. After this, Frank Sinatra worked for some time in a music cafe, and also, as before, often performed on the radio.

Frank Sinatra's Star Trek: music and filmography

However, real success came to our today's hero in the early forties. During this period, he began performing frequently with the jazz orchestras of Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. During this period, the talented musician attracted the attention of prominent figures in American show business. In 1946, the American-Italian performer recorded his first album, “The Voice Of Frank Sinatra”, followed by the release of another disc two years later - “Christmas Songs By Sinatra”.


Things were going well, but at some point everything began to collapse on its own. Frank's marriage to longtime girlfriend Nancy Barbato ended due to an affair with actress Ava Gardner. The relationship with the Hollywood star also very soon grew into a big scandal. Because of this, some of the artist's concerts in New York were cancelled. Frank fell into a prolonged depression, which some time later became the reason for his dismissal from radio. To top it all off, in 1951, the singer unexpectedly lost his voice due to a lingering cold. Pressed down by the burden of problems, the great musician thought about suicide...

But Frank Sinatra still did not take the last step, and some time later the situation began to slowly improve. Having lost his voice, our today's hero paid close attention to cinema and already in 1953 he played one of the roles in the film “From Here to Eternity.” For this acting work Frank Sinatra won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

From that moment on, everything gradually began to return to normal. The voice problems turned out to be temporary and very soon our today’s hero began performing and working in the studio again. The musician's new albums were released one after another. And soon fans of the great musician’s talent had the opportunity to often watch him in the movies. In the period from 1954 to 1965, the actor began acting frequently, appearing in a total of twelve films. The most striking among them were the films “High Society”, “The Manchurian Candidate” and some others.

Last years of life, death of Frank Sinatra

The star journey of the singer and actor continued until the end of the seventies. In 1979, Frank Sinatra recorded the song “New York, New York” and thereby seemed to say goodbye to the American scene. Subsequently, he appeared on the stage several more times, but such performances were the exception rather than the rule. In 1998, the great musician and great actor died of a heart attack at his home in East Hollywood. On this day, national mourning was declared throughout America.

Frank Sinatra-New York New York

A year before his death, the singer was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, which is considered the highest award in the United States of America.

Personal life of Frank Sinatra

As noted above, the musician’s first wife was his childhood friend, Nancy Barbato. In marriage with her, Frank Sinatra's daughter, Nancy, was born, who today is famous singer. In addition, some time later, Frank Sinatra Jr. and his youngest daughter, Tina, were also born.

Despite many happy years of marriage, in the late forties the singer began an affair with actress Ava Gardner, which led to a divorce from his first wife. In 1951, Ava and Frank got married. And six years later, after a series of scandals, they filed for divorce.

In 1966, our today's hero decided to tie the knot for the third time. The musician's new wife is actress Mia Farrow. But the marriage with her lasted only about a year.

Frank Sinatra spent the last years of his life with his fourth wife, Barbara Marx.

Francis Albert Sinatra - American singer, actor, director and showman. He is rightfully considered one of the most influential and popular artists of the 20th century. In total, more than 150 million records with compositions performed by the singer have been sold. A true icon of popular music of his time, mainly in America, he was declared a laureate eleven times music award Grammy. Known to the general public for the special timbre of his voice and the lyrical style of vocal performance.

Brief biography

Born December 12, 1915 in Hoboken (New Jersey), USA. Frank's parents emigrated from Italy, moving to the United States in early childhood. Having settled on the east coast of the country, they began a new life in which a future star appeared. The musician’s father tried many professions in America, from a loader and bartender to a fireman and a professional boxer. The mother did housework and worked as a nurse for some time. Subsequently, when the future singer matured a little, she became involved in political activities as the leader of the local branch of the Democratic Party.


Hoboken, where Sinatra grew up, was a city of immigrants with a fairly low standard of living. Frank never received any education. At school he was not interested in natural science subjects, and he also did not gravitate toward humanities. The creative nature, which did not tolerate rigid boundaries, made itself felt. Since childhood, the future performer was not distinguished by exemplary behavior. The result was expulsion from school, which did not upset him much. After all, Frank's only passion was music.

The first activity that paved the way to fame was working as a driver for the start-up team “Three Flashes”. Then the young man himself becomes a performer in this group, which is now called the “Four from Hoboken.” At the time, Frank was earning just over twenty dollars a week for his work. Subsequently, Sinatra recalled that he was extremely happy about this: “For the given opportunity to perform on stage and see my face on posters, I myself was ready to pay extra.”


The first tour began unnoticed. At the same time, Frank marries a young girl from a modest family, Nancy Barbato, who will bear him three children. Their marriage lasted from 1939 to 1951. Subsequently, the musician married three more times. His second wife is Ava Gardner, an American actress, Hollywood star, and Oscar nominee. She was married to the popular performer from 1951 to 1957. For the third time, the singer married Mia Farrow, a famous Hollywood actress. Subsequently, she often starred in films by Woody Allen, who liked to call her his muse. This marriage lasted two years, from 1966 to 1968. The last wife of America's idol was Barbara Marx, an American model and dancer. The final marriage turned out to be the most durable and lasted from 1976 to 1998 until the death of the star. Sinatra had three children from his first marriage: daughters Nancy and Tina, and son Frank.



Interesting facts:

  • The singer had no music education, he never learned to read music. He managed to perform works based solely on his hearing.
  • Sinatra was one of the show business figures who participated in John Kennedy's election campaign.
  • A small celestial body discovered in 1989 was named in honor of the musician. This is asteroid Sinatra 7934, which is only visible through a powerful telescope.
  • Frank did not graduate from any educational institution, as he was expelled from junior school in his fourth year of study for poor academic performance and behavior.
  • In 1938 the artist short time arrested for seducing a married woman. At that time in America it was considered a crime.
  • In 1943, the musician was invited to a reception at the White House by then US President Franklin Roosevelt.

  • He became a grandfather in 1974 when Nancy had a daughter. Later Frank had two more grandchildren.
  • In 1979, during the musician’s visit to Egypt, a concert was held, which was initiated by the then President of Egypt Anwar Sadat. It is noteworthy that this concert took place almost in front of the Sphinx and the Pyramid of Cheops.
  • In 1980, the singer took part in the election campaign of US presidential candidate Ronald Reagan. This happened 20 years after similar work on the John Kennedy election campaign.
  • 175 thousand people gathered at the Maracanã stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to listen to their favorite performer perform live in 1980.
  • In the 80s, the artist was the face of iconic television advertisements for the resorts of Atlantic City and Las Vegas. This happened after signing a lucrative agreement with Steve Wynn.
  • He received one of the highest non-military awards in the United States - the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This happened in the mid-80s.


  • Celebrating his 75th birthday, the singer went on an anniversary world tour in December 1990.
  • On the day Sinatra died, the lights on the street in Las Vegas went out, and the Empire State Building was lit blue to match the color of the iconic artist's eyes.

Best songs

"New York, New York"

The composition “New York, New York” is one of Frank Sinatra’s signature songs and is strongly associated with him. The history of its appearance is interesting. The theme was first heard in Martin Scorsese's film New York, New York in 1977. Then it was performed by Liza Minnelli. Composer D. Kander and poet F. Ebb specially wrote a song for this film. Subsequently, the single was covered with minor changes to the lyrics by Frank Sinatra for his album “Trilogy: Past Present Future”.

The song's popularity grew after it was performed by the singer at Radio City Music Hall in October 1978. In 1979, recording took place for the above-mentioned album. Subsequently, two more studio versions of the song performed by the musician were made: in 1981 and 1993.

By now, the single has become truly iconic and widely circulated in popular culture. Many public events in the New York City region are not complete without its performance. The composition is the anthem of many sports teams. For example, a song sung by Frank Sinatra plays at the end of every New York Rangers game. Also every year New Year's Eve This melody sounds in Time Square in New York.

“New York, New York” - listen

"My way"

The history of the composition “My way” began in 1967 in France. It was performed by Claude François under the title “Comme d’habitude”, and a few months later it was covered by Sinatra with lyrics by Paul Anka. Immediately after this, the single soared to the top of the American and British charts. Interesting fact is that the composition is often performed at funerals. This is not accidental, since the poems represent the narrative of a person who has gone through a long journey in life, in which there is no place for disappointment.

“My way” - listen

"Strangers in the night"

The musician himself initially considered the song “Strangers in the night” not very successful. Nevertheless, this work was subsequently included in the singer’s new album of the same name. And as a result, a surge in popularity in 1966, which was reflected in the top positions of the popular music charts. For this album, the performer received two Grammy awards. As for the melody, perhaps everyone has heard it at least once.

“Strangers in the night” - listen

Frank Sinatra's house

The singer moved to Palm Springs in the 1940s. Then it was a small, unremarkable town. Only later did it acquire the status of a fashionable resort and the traditional residence of many Hollywood stars. The construction of this house was led by architect Stuart Williams. Subsequently, he recalled that Sinatra came in 1947 and said: “I want a house right here.” The mansion cost its owner more than 150 thousand dollars. The musician wanted the house to be built within a few months before the new year, which was done. New home in Palm Springs witnessed family life Frank is married to Nancy Barbato and Ava Gardner. The building has completely preserved the original layout and decoration of the premises. Currently, the owner of the property rents it out, including short-term.

Frank Sinatra's Mafia Connection


In the minds of many people, a musician appears in the image popular artist, closely associated with the ethnic mafia structures of the mid-20th century. This was greatly facilitated by the publication of Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather. One of the characters in the work, Johnny Fontaine, seems to have been copied by the author from the image of Frank Sinatra. Perhaps there is a small grain of truth in this. After all, the future artist grew up in a rather criminal area populated by people from southern European countries. It is no secret that in these areas at that time there was organized crime, which to one degree or another permeated many layers of society. This was facilitated by the Great Depression that was at hand. The economic crisis pushed people to get involved in illegal money-making schemes. At the beginning of his career, the singer repeatedly performed in nightclubs with a dubious reputation. Subsequently, the musician participated in a number of events, which were presumably attended by people who were not entirely on friendly terms with the law.

Frank Sinatra’s special manner of behavior on stage and in life, characteristic of representatives of many strata of society of that time, played a role. The theme of the movie in which he starred also made a significant contribution to the formation of the star’s image as a person associated with the criminal world. All this together added a semi-criminal touch to his artistic image. It is worth saying that in the middle of the 20th century this image turned out to be advantageous and the singer did not refuse to use it.

Frank Sinatra, whose biography is of interest to many, thanks to his artistic talent, became a real symbol of the USA and the brightest star of this country on for many years. His vocal career began back in the 1940s and by its end had reached such heights that even during his lifetime the singer was recognized as a true classic of American music. musical culture. He was considered the standard of style and taste. His exciting voice sounded from all the radios of the vast country. That is why, after the death of the great artist, his songs went down in the history of the United States and the world music industry as a whole. This great man will be discussed in this article.

Childhood

Frank Sinatra, whose biography is complete interesting details, was born into a family of immigrants from Italy. The artist’s mom and dad moved to the United States in his youth. Together with their simple belongings, they settled on the east coast of America and began a new life. Frank's father, Martin, was from the city and tried a huge variety of professions during his life - he was a bartender, a fireman, a loader at shipyards, and even performed in the ring as a boxer for some time.

But the mother of the future artist, Dolly, came from Genoa. She had a gloomy and decisive character; she made all the important decisions in the family. This woman was more involved in social and political work than housekeeping, and often left Frank with his grandmother. After raising her son, Dolly decided to build her own career and took the post of head of the city cell of the Democratic Party.

Frank Sinatra, whose brief biography is discussed in this article, led the most ordinary life. He did not experience poverty and did not bathe in luxury. In early childhood, he even lagged behind his peers in development. And at the age of sixteen he was kicked out of school for disgraceful behavior. Frank never received any education, but this did not stop him from becoming famous throughout the world.

Career development

The biggest passion in our hero's life has always been music. Already at the age of thirteen, Frank Sinatra sang in drinking establishments in his hometown. After some time, the biography of the great singer was marked by successful recordings on the radio. After he attended a concert in Jersey City in 1933 and saw his idol Crosby Bing perform, he finally chose for himself future profession and decided to become a performer.

Later, in the mid-1930s, the artist, together with his friends, created the musical group “The Hoboken Four,” with which he appeared at the “Big Bowes Amateur Hour” competition for young performers. This performance turned out to be very successful, and after some time the group went on tour in US cities. Then Frank Sinatra began working in a music cafe and, as before, performing on the radio. It is interesting that the young man had absolutely no musical education. He sang by ear, not knowing the notes at all.

Real success

But real success came to our hero only at the very beginning of the 1940s. Then he often performed with the jazz orchestras of Tommy Dorsey and Harry James. During this period he managed to attract the attention of famous figures American culture. They started sponsoring young talent and in 1946, Frank Sinatra, whose biography contains many significant events, recorded his debut album entitled “The Voice Of Frank Sinatra”. A year later, he released a new disc - “Christmas Songs By Sinatra”. The singer signed a lifetime contract with Dorsey and this could determine his artistic destiny for many years. The famous Sam Giancana helped him get out of a difficult situation. This episode was subsequently described in detail in the novel “ Godfather" It is believed that one of his heroes, Johnny Fontaine, was based on Frank Sinatra.

Crisis

Things were going very well for the artist, but at some point his career began to collapse. The fact is that Frank's marital relationship with his longtime lover Nancy Barbato fell apart due to his affair with actress Ava Gardner. This affair with a Hollywood star very soon also grew into a large-scale scandal. Because of him, the performer's concerts in the most famous - New York - were cancelled. After this, Frank fell into a long depression, which became the reason for his departure from radio. To top off all the troubles, in 1951 the performer unexpectedly lost his voice due to a lingering cold. Exhausted by problems, the great musician began to think about suicide...

New role

But Frank Sinatra never dared to take this fatal step. The artist’s biography was soon adorned with a new fateful event - having lost his voice, the performer turned his attention to cinema and in 1953 he played one of the roles in the film “From Here to Eternity.” For this work Sinatra won an Oscar and was recognized as best supporting actor.

From this event, our hero’s life began to return to its previous track. The voice eventually reappeared, and Sinatra began working in the studio again. The artist's music albums began to be released one after another. And after some time, fans of the outstanding singer’s talent had the opportunity to regularly follow his performance on the screen. For eleven years (from 1954 to 1980), Frank Sinatra starred in sixty films. Biography, photo of this outstanding person became the property of the most prestigious glossy publications. He became a recognized hero of his time.

Filmography

Sinatra Frank remained in the history of American culture not only as an outstanding singer, but also as a wonderful actor. The biography of this artist is marked by participation in the following films: “Las Vegas Nights”, “As the Clouds Roll By”, “Double Dynamite”, “From Here to Eternity”, “High Society”, “Unexpected”, “Raise Anchors”, “ Pride and Passion", "Going to the City", "Ocean's Eleven", "The Man with the Golden Arm", "And They Came Running", "Around the World in 80 Days", "The Manchurian Candidate", "Four from Texas", " Adrian Messenger's List", "Von Ryan's Train", "Robin and the 7 Gangsters". The actor starred in his last film, “The First Deadly Sin,” when he was already 65 years old. Listed above are only the most successful projects in which the actor was involved. They made him truly famous.

Last years of life

Sinatra Frank (the biography of this artist still occupies the minds of various researchers) continued his star trek actor and singer until the late 1970s. At the end of his career, he recorded the famous composition “New York, New York” and with this iconic song he said goodbye to the American stage. After this, Sinatra performed in public several more times, but this was the exception rather than the rule. Having lived only two years before the advent of the second millennium, in 1998 the great artist died of a heart attack in own home in East Hollywood. This day was marked by national mourning in America.

Personal life

Frank Sinatra, whose personal life was the subject of constant discussion in the press, was married four times. His first wife was his childhood friend, Barbato Nancy. From this marriage Nancy was born, the daughter of Frank Sinatra. Today this woman has become in America famous performer. In addition, after some time the artist had two more children - daughter Tina and son Frank Sinatra Jr.

In the late 1940s, Sinatra began an affair with the artist, which provoked a break in the marital relationship. In 1951, Frank and Ava got married, but after 6 years they divorced after a continuous series of scandals.

In 1966 great singer for the third time he decided to tie himself into marital ties. His new chosen one was actress Mia Farrow. But the marriage with this woman did not last long - the couple divorced a year later. Frank Sinatra, a biography whose personal life is no secret to anyone, spent his last years with his fourth wife, Marx Barbara.

Memory

In 2008, on May 13, a postage stamp featuring Frank Sinatra was released for sale in Las Vegas, New Jersey and New York. This event was timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the death of the outstanding performer. The singer’s children, his relatives, friends and fans were present at the gala event on the occasion of the stamp’s release in Manhattan.

Conclusion

Every celebrity has an official, normal biography. Frank Sinatra is no exception. But there were many secrets in this man’s life that biographers are still puzzling over. By virtue of his origin, he was associated with and even sometimes used her services. In order to learn about the details of the artist’s life, you need to familiarize yourself with the materials of that time, delve into the essence of the events taking place, and feel the atmosphere of the era. Therefore, we advise everyone who is interested in the fate and work of this outstanding person to read his detailed biography.

Frank Sinatra - popular American crooner, performer of the hits “New York, New York”, “My way”, “Love Story”, “Over and Over” ( "Peace be with you"). During the heyday of his activity, the artist acted in films, performed on the radio, produced films, and hosted his own television show. Sinatra is the winner of eleven Grammy awards and two Oscars.

The singer known as Frank Sinatra was born in 1915 into a family of Italian immigrants. He celebrated his birthday on December 12th. When born, the child weighed more than 6 kg. The boy's full name at birth was Francis Albert Sinatra.

As a child, the child was often left with his grandmother and aunt. Frank's mom spent a lot of time social work, and my father was a dock worker. Martin and Dolly Sinatra were typical representatives of the working class of America in the early twentieth century.

At a young age, Frank became interested in music. He used his skills in playing small ukulele to earn pocket money. Due to absenteeism and poor academic performance, young Sinatra was expelled from high school. He developed his abilities, being naturally gifted. Sinatra was not familiar with solfeggio and sang by ear.

Best songs and albums

Sinatra is considered the only singer who, in old age, was able to repeat the success of his younger years. The master recorded one of the most famous songs “New York, New York” in 1979. By this time the singer was already 64 years old. The song became a hallmark of New York and is still used today as one of the city's unspoken anthems.


Over the half-century of his creative activity, the singer has recorded more than a hundred hit compositions. Frank performed songs by George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Burling and others famous composers of its time. During the singer's lifetime, about 60 albums with his vocals were released. Collections of Christmas songs performed by Sinatra are still very popular in America.

The artist’s most famous songs in the world: “Strangers in the night”, “New York, New York”, “My way” , "Fly Me to the moon", "Jingle bells" and "Let it Snow".

Personal life

The singer was officially married four times. His personal life was for a long time the object of close attention of journalists, which led to Frank's divorce from his first wife. The singer hated the press for the rest of his life.


The artist's first love was a girl named Nancy Barbato. She and Frank married in the winter of 1939. His wife gave Sinatra three wonderful children. The eldest daughter was born in 1940. She was named after her mother. When Nancy Sinatra grew up, she, following the example of her father, devoted her life to music. In 1944, Frank Sinatra Jr. was born, who also became a musician. He led his father's orchestra. The youngest child in this marriage was the singer’s daughter Tina. The children of Frank and Nancy connected their lives with show business. The eldest daughter and middle son became musicians, and Tina found herself in the film business.


After his divorce from Nancy, Sinatra quickly found solace in the arms of the actress. The lovers got married a few years after their romance began. For Ava, marriage to Sinatra was the third.


During the beginning of his married life with Gardner, Frank had a serious creative crisis. The singer was plagued by a series of failures, as a result of which he found himself unclaimed in the profession. Having lost his voice due to complications from a cold, Frank decided to take his own life. His wife was next to the singer and supported him in difficult times, Sinatra recovered and returned to the stage. In 1952, his concerts again began to be sold out. Sinatra lived with his second wife for about six years.


The singer married for the third time at the age of 51. The wedding of Sinatra and his 21-year-old fiancee Mia Farrow took place in 1966. Many devastating articles appeared in the press on this matter. Thanks to her wife's surname, Mia has made a good career as an actress. The young wife helped the singer overcome another creative crisis. A year after their wedding, Mia Farrow and Frank Sinatra divorced.

The singer's fourth wife in 1976 was Barbara Marx. She was Sinatra's last official life partner, with whom he lived until his death. Biographers often criticize Barbara, calling her an inheritance hunter. The couple lived together for 22 years.


Frank Sinatra was not only talented singer and an actor, but also a famous ladies' man. His women were extraordinarily beautiful and talented. Among Sinatra's lovers there were many famous actresses, singers and fashion models. Both in his youth and in his old age, Frank knew how to charm the woman he liked with his “velvet” voice and gallant manners.

In addition to four official marriages, the singer had two broken engagements. Sinatra broke off his engagement to Humphrey Bogart's widow Lauren Bacall due to early publicity. The actress's friends told reporters about the upcoming wedding, and representatives of the press occupied the singer's home. Sinatra felt that Lauren had betrayed him and broke off their relationship.


The second engagement to Juliet Prowse was called off in 1962, a month and a half after its announcement. The breakup was initiated by the bride; she decided to focus on her career. Sinatra also had relationships with Lana Turner, Gina Lollobrigida, Shirley MacLaine, Donna Reed, Jill St. John. Frank and his women usually parted amicably, without scandals or incidents. Sinatra met many of his passions during filming and maintained friendly relations after breaking up.

Movies

The artist's charm helped him build a good career in cinema. Sinatra didn't go to school acting, didn't take lessons performing arts. His playing and musical skills were native. During his film career, Frank played roles in 46 films.

In 1965, the artist tried to direct the film “Only the Brave.” This experience was isolated, but as a producer, Sinatra released as many as six films. It is interesting that the artist’s children chose professions that replicate their father’s occupations. For example, Sinatra's youngest daughter began producing films.


Frank Sinatra in It Happened in Brooklyn

The most famous films with the artist’s participation: “From Here to Eternity,” “Ocean’s 11” (film adaptation of 1960), “The Manchurian Candidate,” “The Man with the Golden Arm,” “Detective,” “Around the World in 80 Days” (film adaptation 1956). Sinatra's work in films was highly appreciated. The actor won two Oscar statuettes and two Golden Globe awards.

  • In his youth, the artist almost ended up in prison because of his love for a married woman. In America at the beginning of the last century, an affair with another man's wife was a criminal offense and could adversely affect the singer's career.
  • There is a version that Frank Sinatra was connected with the mafia. In particular, the singer did not hide the fact that he is personally acquainted with some crime bosses. According to rumors, the mafia, ordered by Sinatra, dealt with his ill-wishers. And the singer primarily considered journalists who were too interested in his personal life and affairs to be his enemies.

  • Frank Sinatra treated Audrey Hepburn very warmly, it was he who gave rising star nickname "Princess". Interestingly, in 1953, the actress actually played a royal in the film “Roman Holiday.” Sinatra's wife Ava Gardner was also considered for the role, but the producers chose Audrey Hepburn.
  • Frank's eldest daughter posed for the cover of Playboy magazine. At the time of the candid photo shoot, Nancy Sinatra had already celebrated her 54th birthday.
  • Frank was not only a singer and actor, but also a famous showman. The most popular representatives of American show business appeared on Sinatra's television show. After demobilization, young Elvis Presley appeared on television in Sinatra's show. By the way, the relationship between the two great singers was not particularly warm. Frank did not like rock and roll and called it degenerate music, which Elvis Presley did not like.

  • In 1960, the singer bought a casino. When it turned out that one of Sinatra's partners was Chicago gangster Sam Giancana, the artist had to give up his share in the business to save his reputation.
  • False renditions of the song "My Way" have caused the death of several singers in the Philippines. Over the course of 10 years, 6 people were killed in karaoke bars. As a result of these incidents, the song was banned in the Philippines.
  • Modern biographers, studying archives, have suggested that the singer had an affair with Marilyn Monroe. The veracity of this claim remains in question. It is known that Frank and Marilyn met in 1954. Several biographical books based on the memoirs of people close to Marilyn and Sinatra present conflicting information about their relationship.

  • According to one version, Frank was crazy about the diva, but she rejected him, according to another, Marilyn was in love with the singer, but he did not want to connect his life with her. There is also an opinion that Sinatra and Monroe had secret romance. This love story caused a public outcry, and interest has not waned even half a century after the actress’s death. Some daredevils even suggest that Monroe could have committed suicide because of her unrequited love for Sinatra. Photos of the singer and actress do not support, but do not refute the theory about their secret romance.

Death

The singer announced the end of his stage career in 1971. He did not succeed in retiring completely that year. In 1973, the master recorded a new studio album, “Ol" Blue Eyes Is Back,” and in 1974 he resumed concert activities. Latest collection with compositions was released by the singer in 1993, and in 1995 the master appeared on stage for the last time.


Frank Sinatra and his wife in old age

The singer died in 1998. Cause of death – heart attack. The legendary Sinatra passed away on May 14th. Frank was 82 years old at the time of his death. The funeral took place in California in the city of Cathedral city at the Desert Memorial Park cemetery.

Discography:

  • 1946 - The Voice Of Frank Sinatra
  • 1948 - Christmas Songs By Sinatra
  • 1954 - Swing Easy!
  • 1957 - A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra
  • 1958 - Come Fly With Me
  • 1960 - Nice "N" Easy
  • 1962 - Point Of No Return
  • 1964 - Softly As I Leave You
  • 1966 - Moonlight Sinatra
  • 1966 - Strangers In The Night
  • 1969 - My Way
  • 1973 - Ol" Blue Eyes Is Back
  • 1981 - She Shot Me Down

He performed all the most famous songs of the largest US composers - George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Cole Porter and Irving Berlin.

In addition to his musical triumph, Sinatra was also a successful film actor, the high point of his career being the 1954 Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. His “piggy bank” contains many film awards: from the Golden Globes to the Screen Actors Guild Award. During his life, Sinatra starred in more than 60 films, the most famous of which were “Town to the City”, “From Here to Eternity”, “The Man with the Golden Arm”, “High Society”, “Pride and Passion”, “Eleven Ocean's Friends" and "The Manchurian Candidate".

Frank Sinatra was awarded the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awards, and a year before his death he was awarded the highest US award - the Congressional Gold Medal.

Biography

Youth

Francis Albert Sinatra was born on the second floor of an apartment building on Monroe Street in Hoboken on December 12, 1915. His mother - nurse Dolly Garavante - spent a terrifying few hours giving birth to a boy. On top of that, he developed frightening lifelong scars from the forceps used by Dr. The reason for such a difficult birth could be the unusual weight of the baby - almost six kilograms.

Frank's father was Martin Sinatra, a shipyard worker and boilermaker, and Dolly's mother served as the local chairman of the Democratic Party in Hoboken. Both immigrated to the United States from Italy: Martin from Sicily and Dolly from Genoa. After the birth of his son, Martin had trouble finding regular work, so he began participating in boxing matches, where he quickly became a local favorite. Dolly was the head of the family: a strict, dynamic woman who loved her family, but focused more on social and political work than on family work. Due to various work commitments, she often left Frank with her grandmother for long periods of time.

In the spring of 1917, America entered the war. Martin was too old to recruit, so he continued his regular work at the docks, bar, ring, and later the Hoboken Fire Department. After the end of the war, Dolly became closely involved with Hoboken immigrants, and left the boy with his grandmother and aunt. Also, the mother often left her son under the supervision of her Jewish neighbor, Mrs. Golden, thanks to the good impressions of communicating with her, in later life Frank supported Jews and Israel. Unlike his peers, the two-year-old curly-haired boy Frank grew slowly and less progressively.

WITH early years He was interested in music, and from the age of 13 he worked part-time using a ukulele, a small musical instrument, and a megaphone, in bars in his city. In 1931, Sinatra was kicked out of school for “disgraceful behavior.” As a result, he never received any education, including musical education: Sinatra sang by ear, never having learned the notes.

Sinatra's 1959 hit "High Hopes" remained on the national charts for 17 weeks, longer than any other song by the singer.

Memory

Most famous songs

Albums

(albums, concert recordings and compilations released by record companies with which Sinatra collaborated)

  • 1946 - The Voice Of Frank Sinatra
  • 1948 - Christmas Songs By Sinatra
  • 1949 - Frankly Sentimental
  • 1950 - Songs By Sinatra
  • 1951 - Swing And Dance With Frank Sinatra
  • 1954 - Songs For Young Lovers
  • 1954 - Swing Easy!
  • - In The Wee Small Hours
  • - Songs for Swingin' Lovers!
  • 1956 - This Is Sinatra!
  • 1957 - A Jolly Christmas From Frank Sinatra
  • 1957 - A Swingin' Affair!
  • 1957 - Close To You And More
  • 1957 - Where Are You
  • 1958 - Come Fly With Me
  • 1958 - Sings For Only The Lonely (Only The Lonely)
  • 1958 - This Is Sinatra Volume 2
  • 1959 - Come Dance With Me!
  • 1959 - Look To Your Heart
  • 1959 - No One Cares
  • 1960 - Nice "N" Easy
  • 1961 - All The Way
  • 1961 - Come Swing With Me!
  • 1961 - I Remember Tommy
  • 1961 - Ring-A-Ding-Ding!
  • 1961 - Sinatra Swings (Swing Along With Me)
  • 1961 - Sinatra's Swingin" Session!!! And More
  • 1962 - All Alone
  • 1962 - Point Of No Return
  • 1962 - Sinatra And Strings
  • 1962 - Sinatra And Swingin' Brass
  • 1962 - Sinatra Sings Great Songs From Great Britain
  • 1962 - Sinatra Sings Of Love And Things
  • 1962 - Sinatra-Basie An Historic Musical First (feat. Count Basie)
  • 1963 - Sinatra's Sinatra
  • 1963 - The Concert Sinatra
  • 1964 - America I Hear You Singing (feat. Bing Crosby & Fred Waring)
  • 1964 - Days Of Wine And Roses Moon River And Other Academy Award Winners
  • 1964 - It Might As Well Be Swing (feat. Count Basie)
  • 1964 - Softly As I Leave You
  • 1965 - A Man And His Music
  • 1965 - My Kind Of Broadway
  • 1965 - September Of My Years
  • 1965 - Sinatra "65 The Singer Today
  • 1966 - Moonlight Sinatra
  • 1966 - Sinatra At The Sands (feat. Count Basie)
  • 1966 - That's Life
  • 1967 - Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim (feat. Antonio Carlos Jobim)
  • 1967 - The World We Knew
  • 1968 - Cycles
  • 1968 - Francis A & Edward K (feat. Duke Ellington)
  • 1968 - The Sinatra Family Wish You A Merry Christmas
  • 1969 - A Man Alone The Words And Music Of McKuen
  • 1969 - My Way
  • 1970 - Watertown
  • 1971 - Sinatra & Company (feat. Antonio Carlos Jobim)
  • 1973 - Ol" Blue Eyes Is Back
  • 1974 - Some Nice Things I've Missed
  • 1974 - The Main Event Live
  • 1980 - Trilogy Past Present Future
  • 1981 - She Shot Me Down
  • 1984 - LA Is My Lady
  • 1993 - Duets
  • 1994 - Duets II
  • 1994 - Sinatra & Sextet Live In Paris
  • 1994 - The Song Is You
  • 1995 - Sinatra 80th Live In Concert
  • 1997 - With The Red Norvo Quintet Live In Australia 1959
  • 1999 - "57 In Concert
  • 2002 - Classic Duets
  • 2003 - Duets With The Dames
  • 2003 - The Real Complete Columbia Years V-Discs
  • 2005 - Live From Las Vegas
  • 2006 - Sinatra Vegas
  • 2008 - Nothing But the Best
  • 2011 - Sinatra: Best of the Best

Filmography

Acting works

  1. - Walk more cheerfully / Step Lively - Glenn Russell
  2. - Raise anchors / Anchors Aweigh - Clarence Dolittle
  3. - While the clouds are floating / Till Clouds Roll By - as himself
  4. - It happened in Brooklyn / It Happened in Brooklyn - Danny Webson Miller
  5. - Miracle of the Bell / The Miracle of the Bells - father Paul
  6. - Kissing Bandit / The Kissing Bandit - Ricardo
  7. - Take me with you to baseball / Take Me Out to the Ball Game - Dennis Ryan
  8. - Dismissal to the city / On the Town - Chip
  9. - Double dynamite / Double Dynamite - Johnny Dalton
  10. - Meet Danny Wilson / Meet Danny Wilson - Danny Wilson
  11. - From now on and forever and ever / From Here to Eternity - Private Angelo Maggio(received an Oscar as best actor background)
  12. - This is a young heart / Young at Heart - Barney
  13. - Unexpected / Suddenly - John Baron
  14. - Not like a stranger / Not as a Stranger - Alfred Boone
  15. - Guys and Dolls / Guys and Dolls - Nathan Detroit
  16. - The Man with the Golden Arm / The Man With the Golden Arm - Frankie
  17. - Delicate trap / The Tender Trap - Charlie
  18. - High Society / High Society - Mike Connor
  19. - Johnny Concho / Johnny Concho - Johnny Concho/Johnny Collins
  20. - Around the world in 80 days / Around The World In 80 Days - pianist in the saloon
  21. - Joker / The Joker Is Wild - Joe
  22. - Pride and passion / The Pride and the Passion - Miguel
  23. - Pal Joey / Pal Joey - Joey Evans
  24. - Kings set off / Kings Go Forth - First Lieutenant Sam Loggins
  25. - And they ran up / Some Came Running - Dave Hirsch
  26. - Hole in the head / A Hole in the Head - Tony Manetta
  27. - Never so little / Never So Few - Captain Tom Reynolds
  28. - Cancan / Can-can -- Francois Durnet
  29. - Ocean's Eleven / Ocean's Eleven - Danny Ocean
  30. - Devil at 4 o'clock / The Devil at 4 O'Clock - Harry
  31. - Three sergeants / Sergeants 3 - First Sergeant Mark Merry
  32. - Manchurian Candidate / The Manchurian Candidate - Captain/Major Bennett Marco
  33. - Adrian Messenger List / The List of Adrian Messenger - cameo
  34. - Come and blow your horn / Come Blow Your Horn - Alan Baker
  35. - Four from Texas / 4 for Texas - Zach Thomas
  36. - Robin and the 7 Gangsters / Robin and the 7 Hoods - gangster Robbie
  37. - Von Ryan Train / Von Ryan's Express - Colonel Ryan
  38. - Wedding on the rocks / Marriage on the Rocks - Dan Edwards
  39. - Cast a giant shadow / Cast a Giant Shadow - Vince
  40. - Attack on the "Queen" / Assault on a Queen - Mark
  41. - Naked Fugitive / The Naked Runner - Sam Laker
  42. - Tony Rome / Tony Rome - Tony Rome
  43. - Detective / The Detective - Joe Leland
  44. - Lady in Cement / Lady in Cement - Tony Rome
  45. - Dirty Dingus Magee / Dirty Dingus Magee - Dyngus Billy Magee
  46. - The First Deadly Sin / The First Deadly Sin - Edward Delaney

Director's work

  1. - Only the brave / None But the Brave

Producer works

  1. - Johnny Concho / Johnny Concho
  2. - Hole in the head / A Hole in the Head(executive producer; uncredited)
  3. - Three sergeants / Sergeants 3
  4. - Robin and the 7 Gangsters / Robin and the 7 Hoods
  5. - Only the brave / None But the Brave
  6. - The First Deadly Sin / The First Deadly Sin

See also

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Notes

Full list · (1936-1940) · (1941-1960) · (1961-1980) · List of broken links:

Excerpt characterizing Sinatra, Frank

A man without convictions, without habits, without traditions, without a name, not even a Frenchman, by the most strange accidents, it seems, moves among all the parties that concern France and, without attaching himself to any of them, is brought to a prominent place.
The ignorance of his comrades, the weakness and insignificance of his opponents, the sincerity of the lie and the brilliant and self-confident narrow-mindedness of this man put him at the head of the army. Brilliant composition A soldier in the Italian army, his reluctance to fight his opponents, his childish insolence and self-confidence gain him military glory. Countless so-called accidents accompany him everywhere. The disfavor into which he falls from the rulers of France serves to his advantage. His attempts to change the path destined for him fail: he is not accepted into the service in Russia, and he fails to be assigned to Turkey. During the wars in Italy, he is on the verge of death several times and is saved each time in an unexpected way. Russian troops, the very ones that could destroy his glory, for various diplomatic reasons, do not enter Europe as long as he is there.
On his return from Italy, he finds the government in Paris in that process of decay in which the people who fall into this government are inevitably erased and destroyed. And for him there is a way out of this dangerous situation, consisting of a meaningless, causeless expedition to Africa. Again the same so-called accidents accompany him. Impregnable Malta surrenders without a shot; the most careless orders are crowned with success. The enemy fleet, which does not let a single boat through, lets through an entire army. In Africa, a whole series of atrocities are committed against almost unarmed inhabitants. And the people who commit these atrocities, and especially their leader, convince themselves that this is wonderful, that this is glory, that this is similar to Caesar and Alexander the Great, and that this is good.
That ideal of glory and greatness, which consists in not only not considering anything bad for oneself, but being proud of every crime, attributing to it an incomprehensible supernatural significance - this ideal, which should guide this person and the people associated with him, is being developed in the open air Africa. Whatever he does, he succeeds. The plague does not bother him. The cruelty of killing prisoners is not blamed on him. His childishly careless, causeless and ignoble departure from Africa, from his comrades in trouble, is given credit to him, and again the enemy fleet misses him twice. While he, already completely intoxicated by the happy crimes he had committed, ready for his role, comes to Paris without any purpose, the decay of the republican government, which could have destroyed him a year ago, has now reached its extreme, and the presence of him, fresh from a person's parties, now only can elevate him.
He doesn't have any plan; he is afraid of everything; but the parties seize on him and demand his participation.
He alone, with his ideal of glory and greatness developed in Italy and Egypt, with his madness of self-adoration, with his audacity of crimes, with his sincerity of lies - he alone can justify what is about to happen.
He is needed for the place that awaits him, and therefore, almost independently of his will and despite his indecision, despite the lack of a plan, despite all the mistakes he makes, he is drawn into a conspiracy aimed at seizing power, and the conspiracy is crowned with success .
He is pushed into the meeting of the rulers. Frightened, he wants to run away, considering himself dead; pretends to faint; says meaningless things that should destroy him. But the rulers of France, previously smart and proud, now, feeling that their role has been played, are even more embarrassed than he is, and say the wrong words that they should have said in order to retain power and destroy him.
Chance, millions of coincidences give him power, and all people, as if by agreement, contribute to the establishment of this power. Accidents make the characters of the then rulers of France subordinate to him; accidents make the character of Paul I recognizing his power; chance conspires against him, not only not harming him, but asserting his power. An accident sends Enghien into his hands and inadvertently forces him to kill, thereby, stronger than all other means, convincing the crowd that he has the right, since he has the power. What makes it an accident is that he strains all his strength on an expedition to England, which, obviously, would destroy him, and never fulfills this intention, but accidentally attacks Mack with the Austrians, who surrender without a battle. Chance and genius give him victory at Austerlitz, and by chance all people, not only the French, but all of Europe, with the exception of England, which will not take part in the events that are about to take place, all people, despite the previous horror and disgust for his crimes, now they recognize his power, the name he gave himself, and his ideal of greatness and glory, which seems to everyone to be something beautiful and reasonable.
As if trying on and preparing for the upcoming movement, the forces of the West several times in the years 1805, 6, 7, 9 rush to the east, growing stronger and stronger. In 1811, the group of people that had formed in France merged into one huge group with the middle peoples. Together with an increasing group of people, the power of justification of the person at the head of the movement further develops. In the ten-year preparatory period preceding the great movement, this man is brought together with all the crowned heads of Europe. The exposed rulers of the world cannot oppose the Napoleonic ideal of glory and greatness, which has no meaning, with any reasonable ideal. One in front of the other, they strive to show him their insignificance. The King of Prussia sends his wife to curry favor with the great man; the Emperor of Austria considers it a mercy that this man accepts the daughter of the Caesars into his bed; the pope, guardian of the sacred things of the people, serves with his religion the exaltation of a great man. It is not so much that Napoleon himself prepares himself to fulfill his role, but rather that everything around him prepares him to take upon himself the full responsibility of what is happening and is about to happen. There is no act, no crime or petty deception that he has committed that is not immediately reflected in the mouths of those around him in the form of a great deed. Best holiday, which the Germans can come up with for him is the celebration of Jena and Auerstätt. Not only is he great, but his ancestors, his brothers, his stepsons, his sons-in-law are great. Everything is done in order to deprive him of the last power of reason and prepare him for his terrible role. And when he is ready, so are the forces.
The invasion is heading east, reaching its final goal - Moscow. The capital is taken; The Russian army is more destroyed than enemy troops were ever destroyed in previous wars from Austerlitz to Wagram. But suddenly, instead of those accidents and genius that had so consistently led him so far in an unbroken series of successes towards his intended goal, there appears a countless number of reverse accidents, from a runny nose in Borodino to frost and the spark that lit Moscow; and instead of genius there are stupidity and meanness, which have no examples.
The invasion runs, comes back, runs again, and all the coincidences are now no longer for, but against it.
There is a counter-movement from east to west with remarkable similarity to the previous movement from west to east. The same attempts at movement from east to west in 1805 - 1807 - 1809 precede the great movement; the same clutch and group of huge sizes; the same pestering of the middle peoples to the movement; the same hesitation in the middle of the path and the same speed as you approach the goal.
Paris - the ultimate goal has been achieved. Napoleonic government and troops are destroyed. Napoleon himself no longer makes sense; all his actions are obviously pathetic and disgusting; but again an inexplicable accident occurs: the allies hate Napoleon, in whom they see the cause of their disasters; deprived of strength and power, convicted of villainy and deceit, he would have to appear to them as he appeared to them ten years ago and a year after - an outlaw robber. But by some strange chance no one sees this. His role is not over yet. A man who ten years ago and a year after was considered an outlaw robber is sent on a two-day journey from France to an island given to him in possession with guards and millions who pay him for something.

The movement of peoples begins to settle into its shores. The waves of the great movement have subsided, and circles are formed on the calm sea, in which diplomats rush, imagining that they are the ones causing the lull in the movement.
But the calm sea suddenly rises. It seems to diplomats that they, their disagreements, are the reason for this new onslaught of forces; they expect war between their sovereigns; The situation seems insoluble to them. But the wave, the rise of which they feel, is not rushing from where they expect it. The same wave is rising, from the same starting point of movement - Paris. The last surge of movement from the west is taking place; a splash that should resolve the seemingly intractable diplomatic difficulties and put an end to the militant movement of this period.
The man who devastated France, alone, without a conspiracy, without soldiers, comes to France. Every watchman can take it; but, by a strange coincidence, not only does no one take it, but everyone greets with delight the man whom they cursed the day before and will curse in a month.
This person is also needed to justify the last collective action.
The action is completed. The last role has been played. The actor was ordered to undress and wash off the antimony and rouge: he would no longer be needed.
And several years pass in which this man, alone on his island, plays a pathetic comedy in front of himself, petty intrigues and lies, justifying his actions when this justification is no longer needed, and shows the whole world what it was like what people took for strength when an invisible hand guided them.
The manager, having finished the drama and undressed the actor, showed him to us.
- Look what you believed! Here it is! Do you see now that it was not he, but I who moved you?
But, blinded by the power of the movement, people did not understand this for a long time.
The life of Alexander I, the person who stood at the head of the countermovement from east to west, is even more consistent and necessary.
What is needed for that person who, overshadowing others, would stand at the head of this movement from east to west?
What is needed is a sense of justice, participation in European affairs, but distant, not obscured by petty interests; what is needed is a predominance of moral heights over one’s comrades—the sovereigns of that time; a meek and attractive personality is needed; a personal insult against Napoleon is needed. And all this is in Alexander I; all this was prepared by countless so-called accidents of his entire past life: his upbringing, his liberal initiatives, his surrounding advisers, Austerlitz, Tilsit, and Erfurt.
During people's war This face is inactive because it is not needed. But as soon as the need for a general European war appears, this face at the moment appears in its place and, uniting the European peoples, leads them to their goal.
The goal has been achieved. Since the last war of 1815, Alexander is at the height of possible human power. How does he use it?
Alexander I, the pacifier of Europe, a man who from his youth strove only for the good of his people, the first instigator of liberal innovations in his fatherland, now that he seems to have the greatest power and therefore the opportunity to do the good of his people, while Napoleon exile makes childish and deceitful plans about how he would make humanity happy if he had power, Alexander I, having fulfilled his calling and sensing the hand of God on himself, suddenly recognizes the insignificance of this imaginary power, turns away from it, transfers it into the hands of those despised by him and despised people and says only:
- “Not for us, not for us, but for your name!” I am a human being too, just like you; leave me to live as a human being and think about my soul and God.

Just as the sun and each atom of the ether is a ball, complete in itself and at the same time only an atom of a whole inaccessible to man due to the enormity of the whole, so each personality carries within itself its own goals and, at the same time, carries them in order to serve common goals inaccessible to man. .
A bee sitting on a flower stung a child. And the child is afraid of bees and says that the purpose of a bee is to sting people. The poet admires a bee digging into the calyx of a flower and says that the bee’s goal is to absorb the aroma of flowers. The beekeeper, noticing that the bee is collecting flower dust and bringing it to the hive, says that the bee's goal is to collect honey. Another beekeeper, having studied the life of a swarm more closely, says that the bee collects dust to feed young bees and breed the queen, and that its goal is to procreate. The botanist notices that, by flying with the dust of a dioecious flower onto the pistil, the bee fertilizes it, and the botanist sees the bee’s purpose in this. Another, observing the migration of plants, sees that the bee promotes this migration, and this new observer can say that this is the purpose of the bee. But the final goal of the bee is not exhausted by either one, or the other, or the third goal, which the human mind is able to discover. The higher the human mind rises in the discovery of these goals, the more obvious to it is the inaccessibility of the final goal.
Man can only observe the correspondence between the life of a bee and other phenomena of life. The same goes for the goals of historical figures and peoples.

The wedding of Natasha, who married Bezukhov in 13, was the last joyful event in the old Rostov family. That same year, Count Ilya Andreevich died, and, as always happens, with his death the old family fell apart.
Events last year: the fire of Moscow and the flight from it, the death of Prince Andrei and Natasha’s despair, the death of Petya, the grief of the countess - all this, like blow after blow, fell on the head of the old count. He did not seem to understand and felt unable to understand the meaning of all these events and, morally bending his old head, as if he was expecting and asking for new blows that would finish him off. He seemed either frightened and confused, or unnaturally animated and adventurous.
Natasha's wedding occupied him for a while with its external side. He ordered lunches and dinners and, apparently, wanted to appear cheerful; but his joy was not communicated as before, but, on the contrary, aroused compassion in the people who knew and loved him.
After Pierre and his wife left, he became quiet and began to complain of melancholy. A few days later he fell ill and went to bed. From the first days of his illness, despite the doctors' consolations, he realized that he would not get up. The Countess, without undressing, spent two weeks in a chair at his head. Every time she gave him medicine, he sobbed and silently kissed her hand. On the last day, he sobbed and asked for forgiveness from his wife and in absentia from his son for the ruin of his estate - the main guilt that he felt for himself. Having received communion and special rites, he died quietly, and the next day a crowd of acquaintances who had come to pay their last respects to the deceased filled the Rostovs’ rented apartment. All these acquaintances, who had dined and danced with him so many times, who had laughed at him so many times, now all with the same feeling of inner reproach and tenderness, as if making excuses for someone, said: “Yes, whatever it was, there was the most wonderful Human. You won’t meet such people these days... And who doesn’t have their own weaknesses?..”
It was at a time when the count’s affairs were so confused that it was impossible to imagine how it would all end if it continued for another year, he unexpectedly died.
Nicholas was with the Russian troops in Paris when news of his father's death came to him. He immediately resigned and, without waiting for it, took a vacation and came to Moscow. The state of financial affairs a month after the count's death became completely clear, surprising everyone with the enormity of the amount of various small debts, the existence of which no one suspected. There were twice as many debts as estates.
Relatives and friends advised Nikolai to refuse the inheritance. But Nikolai saw the refusal of the inheritance as an expression of reproach to the sacred memory of his father and therefore did not want to hear about the refusal and accepted the inheritance with the obligation to pay debts.
The creditors, who had been silent for so long, being bound during the count's lifetime by the vague but powerful influence that his dissolute kindness had on them, suddenly filed for collection. A competition arose, as always happens, to see who would get it first, and the very people who, like Mitenka and others, had non-cash bills of exchange - gifts, now became the most demanding creditors. Nicholas was given neither time nor rest, and those who, apparently, pitied the old man, who was the culprit of their loss (if there were losses), now mercilessly attacked the young heir, who was obviously innocent before them, who voluntarily took upon himself to pay.
None of Nikolai's proposed turns succeeded; the estate was auctioned off at half price, and half of the debts still remained unpaid. Nikolai took the thirty thousand offered to him by his son-in-law Bezukhov to pay that part of the debts that he recognized as monetary, real debts. And in order not to be thrown into a hole for the remaining debts, which the creditors threatened him with, he again entered the service.
It was impossible to go to the army, where he was in the first vacancy of a regimental commander, because the mother was now holding on to her son as the last bait of life; and therefore, despite the reluctance to remain in Moscow in the circle of people who knew him before, despite his aversion to civil service, he took a position in the civil service in Moscow and, taking off his beloved uniform, settled with his mother and Sonya in a small apartment, on Sivtsev Vrazhek.
Natasha and Pierre lived at this time in St. Petersburg, without a clear idea of ​​​​Nicholas' situation. Nikolai, having borrowed money from his son-in-law, tried to hide his plight from him. Nikolai's position was especially bad because with his one thousand two hundred rubles salary he not only had to support himself, Sonya and his mother, but he had to support his mother so that she would not notice that they were poor. The countess could not understand the possibility of life without the conditions of luxury familiar to her from childhood and constantly, not understanding how difficult it was for her son, she demanded either a carriage, which they did not have, in order to send for a friend, or expensive food for herself and wine for son, then money to give a surprise gift to Natasha, Sonya and the same Nikolai.
Sonya ran the household, looked after her aunt, read aloud to her, endured her whims and hidden dislike, and helped Nikolai hide from the old countess the state of need in which they were. Nikolai felt an unpaid debt of gratitude to Sonya for everything she did for his mother, admired her patience and devotion, but tried to distance himself from her.
In his soul he seemed to reproach her for the fact that she was too perfect, and for the fact that there was nothing to reproach her for. She had everything for which people are valued; but there was little that would make him love her. And he felt that the more he appreciated, the less he loved her. He took her at her word, in her letter, with which she gave him freedom, and now he behaved with her as if everything that had happened between them had long been forgotten and could not in any case be repeated.
Nikolai's situation became worse and worse. The idea of ​​saving from my salary turned out to be a dream. He not only did not put it off, but, while satisfying his mother’s demands, he owed little things. He saw no way out of his situation. The thought of marrying a rich heiress, who was offered to him by his relatives, was disgusting to him. Another way out of his situation - the death of his mother - never occurred to him. He wanted nothing, hoped for nothing; and in the very depths of his soul he experienced a gloomy and stern pleasure in uncomplainingly enduring his situation. He tried to avoid former acquaintances with their condolences and offers of insulting help, avoided all distraction and entertainment, even at home he did nothing except lay out cards with his mother, silently walk around the room and smoke pipe after pipe. He seemed to diligently maintain within himself that gloomy mood of spirit in which alone he felt able to bear his situation.

At the beginning of winter, Princess Marya arrived in Moscow. From city rumors, she learned about the position of the Rostovs and how “the son sacrificed himself for his mother,” as they said in the city.
“I didn’t expect anything else from him,” Princess Marya said to herself, feeling a joyful confirmation of her love for him. Remembering her friendly and almost family relations with the whole family, she considered it her duty to go to them. But, remembering her relationship with Nikolai in Voronezh, she was afraid of this. Having made a great effort on herself, however, a few weeks after her arrival in the city, she came to the Rostovs.