Timeline Thursday 14 May 1998

Events on Thursday 14 May 1998 2

• 1915 – 1998 Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (12 December 1915 -- 14 May 1998) was an American singer and actor who is widely regarded as one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century. Born in Hoboken, New Jersey, Sinatra began as a big band vocalist, became the first modern pop idol with his bobby-soxer fans of the early 1940s, suffered a catastrophic career collapse, and staged the most remarkable comeback in entertainment history -- winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1953 and then recording the defining albums of his Capitol Records period (1953-1962). His recordings for Capitol -- 'Songs for Swingin' Lovers,' 'In the Wee Small Hours,' 'Come Fly With Me' -- are the summit of American popular song. He founded Reprise Records, led the Rat Pack, became Las Vegas's defining performer and remained culturally dominant for six decades.
• 1998 Frank Sinatra dies in Los Angeles Frank Sinatra dies of a heart attack at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on 14 May 1998, aged 82. His wife Barbara is at his bedside; his children are not present. His reported last words are 'I'm losing.' He is buried at Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California with a Jack Daniel's bottle, a roll of dimes (he always kept dimes for phone calls), a Zippo lighter and a pack of Camel cigarettes. Flags are lowered to half-staff in New Jersey. The Empire State Building is lit in blue. The most important popular singer in American history is gone.