While legendary crooner Frank Sinatra is best remembered for his endless string of timeless hits, his relationships have also been a subject of fascination, including his high-profile romances with Ava Gardner and Mia Farrow. But fans may arguably know less about his first marriage to Nancy Barbato, a fellow New Jersey native who would later become the mother of his three children.
On what would have been the 87th anniversary of their wedding, we’re taking a look at all we know about Nancy Barbato, from her steadfast support of the singer in his early years to her enduring presence well after their divorce.
Frank and Nancy first met while vacationing in Long Branch, New Jersey in 1934. According to the singer’s official website, Nancy was painting her nails when the budding performer began serenading her with a ukulele, and was reportedly smitten with the future Rat Pack member.
The couple tied the knot five years later in Nancy’s hometown of Jersey City, and started their life in the state, with Frank performing in famous nightclubs in hopes of launching his singing career.
The couple's children went on to successful careers of their own
Family life
Prior to the Sinatra family’s move to Hollywood, the couple welcomed their first two children, daughter Nancy Sinatra (1940) and Frank Sinatra Jr. (1944). Nancy is best known for her 1966 chart topper "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'", while Frank also became a famous jazz musician.
The couple later relocated to Los Angeles, where their final child, daughter Christina “Tina” Sinatra, was born during the height of “Sinatramania” in 1948; she went on to become a TV producer.
Nancy Sinatra Jr. said that Frank regretted leaving his first wife
Divorce and marriage to Ava
Nancy was known for being deeply private, and reportedly struggled with rumours of Frank’s infidelity, notably with screen star Ava Gardner.
The actress is widely credited for helping revive Frank’s career with an Oscar-winning role in From Here To Eternity (1953), and the two had a famously fiery relationship. Frank and Nancy divorced in 1951 after the affair was publicised, with the “That’s Life” singer wedding Ava weeks later.
The couple separated two years later, and Frank had two later marriages to actress Mia Farrow and model Barbara Marx, though it’s believed Frank never stopped loving his first wife. “I asked him once if he had to do it again, would he leave mom for Ava,” Nancy Sinatra Jr. told Mo Rocca on CBS Sunday Morning With Charles Osgood in 2015. “And he said, ‘No’”.
Despite their separation, Frank and Nancy are said to have remained close, with Nancy serving as a confidante throughout his career. Nancy's grandaughter, A.J. Lambert, wrote in Vanity Fair that the duo would be “on the phone until all hours, even when he was in his 80s”.
A.J. also recalled that her grandmother once told her: “‘Thank God I never re-married. I would have had to be in love, and I would never fall in love again’”.
Nancy reportedly spent her later years leading a quiet life in Beverly Hills, California, and was deeply involved with charity work.
From L-R: Nancy and her daughter at the premiere of The Manchurian Candidate in 2004, a remake of Frank's hit sixties film
Legacy
Nancy passed away in 2018 at 101 years old, 20 years after her former husband.
“She was a blessing and the light of my life. Godspeed, Momma. Thank you for everything,” Nancy Sinatra Jr. wrote on X.
Frank’s first wife is remembered not just for her humility but for her resounding influence on the singer – "there is no bitterness, only great respect and affection between Sinatra and his first wife," journalist Gay Talese wrote in 1966, "and he has long been welcome in her home and has even been known to wander in at odd hours, stoke the fire, lie on the sofa, and fall asleep."
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