Meet Christmas crooner Dean Martin's 8 children

Dean's oldest child, Craig Martin, was born on June 29, 1942 to the singer and his first wife Betty McDonald. Craig's early years were mainly spent out of the spotlight as his father wasn't yet a major star. In 1949, Betty and Dean divorced and the singer gained sole custody of Craig and his siblings.

Like his dad, Craig entered the entertainment industry. In the 1960s, he was a production coordinator on The Dean Martin Show, and went on to become a producer on the variety show, Sha Na Na.

Craig married Carole Costello, whose dad was the famous comedian Lou Costello. Carole died at just 48 years old from a stroke. After his wife's early passing, Craig lived his life privately.

Two years after he welcomed Craig, Dean became a father to his eldest daughter, Claudia Martin. When she was just 12-years-old, Claudia debuted on the big screen in the film, Hollywood or Bust. She went on to appear in many other films and television shows.

In 1969, Claudia married actor Kiel Martin. The two welcomed a daughter, Jesse, soon after, but divorced in 1971. Claudia went on to get married to three other men, actor Vincent Lucchesi, Thomas Brown and lastly, Jim Roberts.

In 2001, just six years after her dad passed away, Claudia died from breast cancer at 56 years old.

Just a few years before Dean and Betty got divorced, they welcomed their third child, Barbara Gail Martin. As a kid, Gail was best friends with iconic actress, Liza Minnelli. Later, when Liza carved out a career for herself, Gail told The New York Times: "Her mannerisms are like her mother's. The gestures, that whole nervous thing…[but] she has a style of her own and a better range in her voice than Judy did."

For a brief time, Gail was the opener for her dad's show in Las Vegas. But, she quickly left the entertainment industry behind. When she was 23, Gail married 42-year-old Paul Polena. The couple welcomed daughters Cappy and Liza – aptly named after her childhood best friend.

Gail and Paul divorced, and in 1999, she married Mike Downey, a newspaper writer. The couple lives in Rancho Mirage, California.

Dean and Betty's fourth and last child together was born on August 19, 1948. Deana grew up around the Rat Pack members – Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. – and was inspired to follow in their footsteps.

"Growing up, I was given tap, ballet and piano lessons. I guess performing was just in my genes. And, to tell you the truth, I think all the Martins are kind of hams," she told the Northeast Times in 2014.

Deana quickly went on to perform on The Dean Martin Show in the 1960s and other films – like Young Billy Young and Strangers at Sunrise then Paesano: A Voice in the Night – throughout her youth.

But Deana's real success came in her music career. From 2006 to 2016, she recorded five albums. Her first album, Memories Are Made of This, was mainly covers of her dad's songs – like "That's Amore." 

"I have to recognize what Dean Martin did for the world, the joy he brought to everyone," she told the Los Angeles Times in 2017.

Deana's personal life blossomed at the same time as her career. After meeting John Griffeth on a blind date, Deana fell in love. She and John tied the knot on February 7, 1990.

After Dean married his second wife, Jeanne, he welcomed his fifth child, Dean Paul "Dino" Martin Jr. The singer's son was beloved, earning the title of "golden boy." Dino Jr. was canonically good at everything – tennis (he went on to play at the University of California, Los Angeles), singing (he started a rock band with friends in 1964), and acting (he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his role in Players).

Dino Jr. soon became known as "Dean Paul." In 1971, he married actress Olivia Hussey. The couple soon welcomed son Alexander, but divorced after four years. A few years later, Dean Paul married Olympic figure skater, Dorothy Hamill, but they too divorced after just two years of marriage.

Dean Paul's true love came in 1981 when he became a pilot in the Air National Guard. "I'm proud of him," Dean said of his son at the time. "I'd be proud even if he didn't become a jet pilot, because he's a good boy. He just doesn’t know what he wants to be."

Unfortunately, in 1987, Dean Paul died after his plane crashed into the side of a mountain during routine training. His death devastated Dean. Author, William Keck, told Fox News: "Dean Martin's final years were very, very sad after he lost his son. It was like looking at a candle without a flame."

Dean and Jeanne welcomed their second child – and Dean's sixth – Ricci, on September 20, 1953. Ricci loved performing from a young age. "I grew up with it. Not that we would ever walk into the house and hear Dad's songs playing on the stereo. Or even Frank [Sinatra's]. It was always someone else. But there was always music," he told the Deseret News in 2007.

In 1977, Ricci released an album, Beached, which was a collaboration with Carl Wilson of The Beach Boys. In the late '90s, Ricci started performing with his late brother's bandmates, Desi and Billy.

Ricci married Annie Rasmussen in 1992 and welcomed three children – Pepper, Montana, and Rio. In August 2016, Ricci was found dead in his home. He was 62.

"My family and I are devastated. He was one of the sweetest souls I have ever known," Deana wrote to Facebook. "Ricci's kindness, sweetness and loving nature will be missed more than words can say."

Dean and Jeanne's third child, Gina, was born on December 20, 1956. Gina, who only briefly appeared on a family holiday episode of The Dean Martin Show, she lived a private life. In 1987, Gina married Carl Wilson, The Beach Boys singer and former collaborator with her brother Ricci.

According to Ricci, who wrote in his memoir, That's Amore: "[The wedding was] a nice glimmer of sunshine in what had been a gray season for our family." Gina and Carl were together until his death from lung cancer in 1998.

Dean's youngest child, and only child with his third wife Catherine, is Sasha Martin. Catherine had Sasha from a previous relationship before meeting Dean, but the singer adopted her in 1973 after he married Catherine.

"I never referred to her as my step-sister or adopted sister," Ricci wrote in That's Amore. "Through three marriages and eight kids, we were always one family. The Martins."

While Catherine and Dean divorced three years after they married, Dean always made sure Sasha was taken care of. There isn't much known about Sasha's life, aside from her short acting career when she started on the soap opera, Guiding Light, from 1997 to 1999, and in the 1997 movie, Private Parts.