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Tina reflected on her father’s legacy and why his music still resonate today
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Tina Sinatra opened up about her dad Frank and why she’s “never” tired of hearing him praised
Tina also reflected on what her legendary dad was like as a father — and how her dad found the time for his kids in his busy schedule
Tina said that she sees her job as making sure that people still remember him
Tina Sinatra will always love her dad, Frank.
Tina, 78, opened up about her dad during a Q&A before the world premiere of a restoration of Frank’s 1957 movie Pal Joey at the TCM Classic Film Festival 2026. The movie, which also starred Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak, won Frank a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
TCM host Eddie Muller told Tina at the beginning of their conversation, “You are such a phenomenal guardian of your father’s legacy.” Tina joked, “Some people would put it another way, but that’s OK.”
Muller, 67, asked her, “Do you ever get tired of hearing that, when people say he’s the greatest singer of the 20th century?”
“Never,” Tina said. “I’ll hear it long after I’m gone. No, never. That’s what we do, is to remember and to keep him alive and living in the moment. Which is why we all listen to him anyway, because whatever moment we’re in, we need that kind of thing. Nobody does it like he did.”
Sinatra, who died in 1998 at the age of 82, had a historic career both as a singer and as an actor on screen. He made his first entries into the Billboard charts in the 1940s and stayed a staple for decades. His film career included 1949’s On the Town, 1953’s From Here to Eternity (which won him an Oscar), 1955’s Guys and Dolls, 1956’s High Society and many more.
As for Pal Joey, the movie adapted the hit Rodgers and Hart musical that had originally starred Gene Kelly when it played on Broadway in 1940. For the movie, they rewrote the male lead to make him not a dancer, but a singer. Tina noted that “Uncle Gene” had no issue with Frank taking the part.
Tina, the third and youngest of her father’s three children, noted that her favorite of her father’s output was the 1955 comedy The Tender Trap. “Dad and comedy, for me, was magic, for obvious reasons,” she said. “He’s so funny, and he was. He made you giggle and feel better.”
As for some of the advice her father gave her, she remembered, “He always said, ‘The truth is far less interesting than the myth. Don’t go through life trying to get the truth out there all your life. You’ll waste your time, because nobody cares anyway.’ ”
Tina noted that Sinatra became one of the biggest stars of the 20th century, and books are still written about him to this day. But to her, she said, “He was one of the great fathers. I don’t think people doubt it, but they can’t figure out how he had the time. He had a word that was, ‘Time is yours. Use it,’ and he did. He really, really worked at it.”
While his career came first and his personal life was “sometimes a little screwy,” she said, “He made his choices. Family was a constant, and I love him to this day for that.”
Frank was married to Nancy Barbato from 1939 to 1951. They had three children: Nancy, Frank Jr. and Tina. Nancy was born in 1940. Frank Jr. was born in 1944 and died in 2016, at the age of 72.
Back in May, Nancy, 86, honored her father on the 28th anniversary of his death. “The world lost Frank Sinatra, and I lost my dad,” she said on Instagram. “I don’t think I’ll ever fully get over the loss of him, or the fact that my siblings and I were disregarded and not given a chance to say goodbye.”
She continued, “My father was one of the most extraordinary men I ever had the privilege to know. What an incredible life he lived, and what a remarkable legacy he left behind. On this sad anniversary, I find myself thinking about all he accomplished, the joy he brought to so many people, and the love he gave to those closest to him. The world could certainly use his warmth, kindness, grace, and wonderful sense of humor today. He had a way of making people feel special, whether it was one person sitting beside him or on stage in front of thousands.”
She noted that while she regrets that his great-grandchildren never got to know him, she’s glad that her father’s work has not been “forgotten,” but is still enjoyed by millions of people. “Frank Sinatra is eternal,” she wrote. “And I still miss my Daddy. I love you, Poppa.”
Read the original article on People
