THE LAST YEARS OF FRANK SINATRA
by Mahnuel Muñoz
CHAPTER 11
In April 1994, Frank offered a demanding series of eight concerts at Radio City Music Hall, backed by the Count Basie Orchestra and opened by comedian Don Rickles. In the last of the shows, with tears in his eyes, he tells the audience about him “Maybe this will be the last time we are together.” And so it will be. On April 26, the singer says goodbye to the New York stage, and in the following months he will also lower the curtain for the last time in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
It is precisely at a concert in Atlantic City during the month of August that Frank faints again, this time off the stage and out of sight of the audience. Tina, Frank’s youngest daughter, asks Eliot Weisman, the singer’s manager, to end the situation. At the end of his remaining commitments for the rest of the year, touring will be over forever. To avoid scares, there will always be a doctor present at the concerts.
Frank begins taking his antidepressant at bedtime so that the side effects do not affect the shows and the results are evident; In October he gives two impressive recitals in Saint Louis and Chicago to audiences who fall at his feet. According to his daughter Tina, in Chicago he doesn’t even need to use Teleprompters that dictate the lyrics to his songs.
On November 16, Frank flies to Toronto to film a brief cameo in the television movie “Young At Heart,” produced by Tina Sinatra, directed by Allan Arkush and starring Olympia Dukakis, Chelsea Altman and Yannick Bisson.
The film tells the story of a woman from Hoboken – Sinatra’s hometown – who, after being widowed, discovers that her late husband had lost everything – including the house and the bar they both ran – due to a gambling debt. . Frank Sinatra’s music will be her inspiration to face such a difficult situation. The singer plays himself in an emotional final scene with Olympia Dukakis, who, as you may remember, played Dolly, Frank’s mother, in the 1992 mini-series “Sinatra.” Reluctant to increase her workload, father, Tina had toyed with the idea of showing a virtual simulation of the artist, but luckily common sense prevailed and Frank was happy to participate in the filming.
Upon arriving in Toronto, Frank wanted to take a minibus to the set. “I started my career on a bus,” said Frank, “and I guess I’m ending it just the same.” Upon arriving at the set, an excited Sinatra began banging on the car window with both hands and shouting “Tina!” Father and daughter merged into an excited hug. Frank was lucid and motivated, he filled the space with his presence, like in the best of times. In just forty minutes, the scene was completed and everyone involved was very happy.
Unfortunately, a short time later he resumed taking his antidepressant at the usual time – according to some sources, at the urging of his wife Barbara, who argued that it was best to temper Frank’s character. That may be so, but the truth is that the concerts are once again irregular and distressing.
In his free time he continues to enjoy dinners and parties at his home, but even when he takes walks on the beach with his wife he has difficulty breathing and sometimes requires a visit from a doctor.
In December he offers the last two complete recitals of his career, inaugurating the Fukuoka Dome, on the Japanese island of Kyushu. According to his friend and road manager Tony Oppedisano, the custom was to travel a few days in advance to distant concerts so that Frank could rest, but on this occasion the singer asked not to travel until the last minute. Oppedisano thinks – and I agree with him – that perhaps Sinatra did not want to face what he knew were going to be his last performances. On the outward journey, Frank feels restless and does not sleep, preferring to stay awake, drinking and talking to Tony. Already in Fukuoka, looking out the window of his hotel, Frank says thoughtfully: “If they had given me a tie every time I took a ferry from Hoboken to here…”
“Frank, we are in Fukuoka, Japan,” Tony corrects him.
“Where are we?”-asks Sinatra
“We’re in Japan,” Tony answers.
“But what did you let me drink last night?”
A few hours later he shares the stage with Natalie Cole and looks very physically and mentally weakened. As usual, this fragility cracks the most dynamic pieces but plays in favor of the songs with more emotional involvement, such as “One For My Baby” or “My Way”. I must admit that, in general terms, they are difficult concerts to see and enjoy. But the unconditional adoration of his admirers flies him away from decadence and blackness.
They fervently applaud each song and shower him with love when he speaks or apologizes for his deteriorating voice. At the end of the second night, an exhausted Sinatra addresses the audience:
“It has been a great pleasure to make this trip…so far…and to have given all of you a pleasant time. I dream that one day we can meet like this again. Until then, I wish each and every one of you…love and laughter…happiness and peace…every day. I love you…thank you…I love you all very much!”
On the flight home, according to Natalie Cole, Frank drinks more whiskey than necessary, which increases his mental confusion. After an hour of traveling, Sinatra begins to berate his companions, asking them one by one, “Who the hell are you?” The scene is dramatic, since the passage is made up of friends and assistants who have been with him for several decades. When the aircraft lands in Hawaii to refuel, Sinatra regains some of his lucidity, but he does not know what he is doing there.
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