Deana Sinatra’s blue eyes begin to gently tear up at the mention of her iconic dad – the late, legendary crooner Frank – and the painful fact they never got to meet.
“It has forever left a gaping hole in my heart. To never have your father wrap his arms around you, to never hear him say, ‘I love you’, is beyond devastating,” says Deana, 63. “Then to be blithely branded as a ‘love child’ cuts deep. I may have gone unrecognised by the Sinatra family, but I know I am his daughter.”
Deana’s story began when her mother, Hungarian-born actress Eva Bartok, met Ol’ Blue Eyes at a Hollywood party in 1956.
“My mother was a classic beauty. Her heyday was the ’50s and ’60s, when she made movies in Britain and America,” she explains.
“Mum met Frank after her fourth marriage, to actor Curd
Jurgens, had ended. Frank was separated from Ava Gardner. As my mother regaled, they had a torrid four-month romance.
This story is from the March 29, 2021 edition of Woman’s Day Magazine NZ.
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This story is from the March 29, 2021 edition of Woman’s Day Magazine NZ.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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