Frank Sinatra Jr. has died at the age of 72, according to a statement by his family to The Associated Press.
Born Francis Wayne Sinatra, the singer and songwriter was the son of music legend Frank Sinatra and his first wife, Nancy Barbato Sinatra.
Sinatra Jr. died unexpectedly Wednesday of cardiac arrest while on tour in Daytona Beach, Florida, his family said.
The statement went on to say that the family mourns the untimely passing of their son, brother, father and uncle, but no other details were provided. He is the younger brother of singer and actress Nancy Sinatra and the older brother of television producer Tina Sinatra.
Famously, Sinatra was kidnapped from Lake Tahoe, California, at the age of 19 in December 1963. He was released after his father paid a ransom of $240,000.
Sinatra Jr. later acknowledged that being the son of one of the most popular singers of the 20th century was both a blessing and a curse — opening doors while setting an impossibly high standard and constant comparisons.
“You have to work three times harder than the guy off the street,” he once told Nat Hentoff for the book “The Other Frank Sinatra,” according to the Washington Times.
Sinatra Jr. spent much of his early career performing on the road as a musician, along with hosting two episodes of “The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour” with sister Nancy. He also appeared in the Sammy Davis, Jr. drama “A Man Called Adam” in 1966, on an episode of TV crime drama “Adam-12” in 1974 and in a 2006 episode of “Family Guy.”
While he barely saw his father growing up because the “My Way” singer was touring so much, Sinatra Jr. went on to work for Ol’ Blue Eyes as a musical director and conductor.
Sinatra Jr. performed the National Anthem at a New York Yankees game last August, singing for the team commonly associated with his father’s iconic song “Theme From New York, New York,” which is played after the Yankees win a game.