Frank Sinatra Jr reveals the truth about what life was like with such a famous father

10 things that made my dad unforgettable.

Frank Sinatra Jr is the son of the legend who would have turned 100 this year. Sinatra died in 1998 after a singing and acting career that brought global stardom.

When he was just 19, Frank Jr was kidnapped in Lake Tahoe and released a couple of days later when his dad paid a $240,000 ransom. Now 71, Frank Jr followed his dad into a singing career.

As part of extensive centenary celebrations he’s bringing his special multimedia show, Sinatra Sings Sinatra, to Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on June 28.

Frank Sinatra (below) tells how his dad helped him do it His Way.

My first memory of my dad was when I was four

I can clearly remember what it was like being a little boy in the presence of daddy.

You had to behave or you’d get a spanking. He was very strict, but fair. He was never unreasonable.

Dad wasn’t around much when I was growing up

In the entertainment industry you have to take the work when it comes to you.

He was in the blossom of his career and when the work came he made sure he took those jobs. That meant he was away from home most of the time.

At one stage my family and I made our home in California and, because of work, dad was 3,000 miles away in New York. I could go months without seeing him. That meant I didn’t have that bond others had with their dad.

There’s no doubt the family unit as a whole wasn’t complete but, strangely, at the times he was there he was quite a homebody. He loved being with his wife, reading, and watching old movies.

He never sang at home

When I was very little it was only through listening to his records I realised what he did for a living. Musical radio was really big and when he’d do his radio show in the city I’d go along.

Sitting in the audience with everyone else was when I’d get a chance to hear him sing. Any closeness didn’t come until decades later.

He didn’t help when I started singing

I was 18 at the time. I was a piano player and I wanted to write music for movies. I must have been about 30 before I started to believe I wasn’t bad.

There was no involvement or backing from dad. I was on my own.

Being a musical conductor brought dad and I close

He was well into his 70s and I was in my late 40s. He was dealing with people he wasn’t fond of and one afternoon he called and asked if I’d come and conduct his orchestra for him.

We’d never been estranged, we were just never close. But when he called I wanted to give something back, the way he’d always given to me.

He saw that I had a roof over my head, clothing on my back, food in my stomach and that I had an education.

Those are the responsibilities of a parent and in those regards he was always, always there for me.

He gave and gave and when he was suddenly in a position of vulnerability I was delighted I could give something back. Initially it was as musical colleagues but that was to change.

As dad got older, I had to look after him

His eyesight wasn’t what it had been, his hearing wasn’t what it had been and his memory was no longer sharp all the time. More and more he’d look to me to keep him on track.

For seven years as he toured and gave concerts that became my primary responsibility.

I tried to make sure he was on target musically

My job was to keep him going and I’m happy to report I did just that. But as his mental accuracy became unstable he made a lot of errors – which the audience loyally forgave.

It upset him terribly, though. People knew it wasn’t easy for him but he always put in the effort. I know absolutely that those performances kept him alive.

It took a massive effort

I’m past 70 now and I’m starting to understand the mental and physical effort it must have been.

It was so hard for me to see how drained and tired he was when he’d come off stage. But he never ever lost the bond with the audience and I could see that spark still light up his eyes.

They say the human body doesn’t give out, it gives in. Well, he refused to give in. He kept on going.

The end came suddenly

I didn’t have the chance to be there with him.

It was outwith my control and not being at his side when he died has troubled me ever since.

It’s one of my greatest regrets.

Psychologists talk about closure and although it’s rather a cold term it does cover it.

Being there gives you the opportunity to say goodbye, to say I love you and I’m going to miss you.

All of that was denied me and I regret it so much.

The audience loved what my dad did and I’m doing the same with this show

It’s like a musical biography. I’m like the narrator, singing his songs. We’ve got new audio/visual aspects and I hope it brings what my dad did really to life.

I hope the audience feel the connection and love the songs the way I do.

There are people who say that music in the 20th Century began with Elvis Presley or The Beatles. But as far as I’m concerned my dad made the finest popular music of the century.

When one of his movies comes on TV I find myself watching and remembering.