Barbara Sinatra

Barbara Marx Sinatra (née Blakeley; March 10, 1927 – July 25, 2017) was an American model, showgirl, socialite, philanthropist, and the fourth wife of Frank Sinatra.

Barbara Sinatra
Sinatra in 2000
Born
Barbara Ann Blakeley

(1927-03-10)March 10, 1927
Bosworth, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJuly 25, 2017(2017-07-25) (aged 90)
Rancho Mirage, California, U.S.
Resting placeDesert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California[1]
Other namesBarbara Marx
OccupationShowgirl, model, socialite, philanthropist
Spouse(s)
Robert Harrison Oliver
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(m. 1948; div. 1952)​

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(m. 1959; div. 1973)​

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(m. 1976; died 1998)​
Children1

Early life

On March 10, 1927, she was born Barbara Ann Blakeley in Bosworth, Missouri,[2] the elder of two daughters. Her parents were Charles Willis Blakeley (June 29, 1895 – October 5, 1989) and Irene Prunty (née Toppass) Blakeley (June 22, 1907 – December 15, 1993). At age 10,[3] she moved with her parents and younger sister, Patricia, to Wichita, Kansas,[4] where she was raised. In 1946, she graduated from Wichita North High School. At age 18, she moved to Long Beach, California.[3]

Personal life

Marriage to Oliver

She married Robert Oliver in September 1948 and had a son, Bobby on October 10, 1950. She divorced Oliver in 1952.

Marriage to Marx

She married Zeppo Marx on September 18, 1959. Despite their divorce in 1973, she was thenceforth known as Barbara Marx.[5]

Marriage to Sinatra

She married Frank Sinatra on July 11, 1976. It was his fourth and final marriage, and her third and final marriage. It was also the longest-lasting marriage for both. She converted to Catholicism. According to her book, Lady Blue Eyes: My Life With Frank, "He [Frank] never asked me to change faith for him, but I could tell he was pleased that I'd consider it."[6]

Upon his death in 1998, Frank Sinatra left her $3.5 million in assets, along with mansions in Beverly Hills, Malibu, and Palm Springs. She also inherited the rights to Sinatra's Trilogy recordings, most of his material possessions and control over his name and likeness.[7]

Death

Barbara Marx Sinatra died on July 25, 2017, in Rancho Mirage, California of natural causes at the age of 90.[2][8] She died a year before Frank's first wife, Nancy, who died on July 14, 2018 at the age of 101.[9]

Legacy

The Sinatras founded the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center in Rancho Mirage, California, in 1986.[10][11] The center is adjacent to the Betty Ford Center on the campus of the Eisenhower Medical Center.[10] The non-profit facility provides individual and group therapy for young victims of physical, sexual, and emotional abuse.[12] In 1998, a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars was dedicated to her.[13]

References
  1. "Barbara Sinatra dies in Rancho Mirage at age 90". Dailynews.com. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  2. Sasha Savitsky (July 25, 2017). "Barbara Sinatra, wife of Frank Sinatra, dead at 90". Fox News. Retrieved July 25, 2017.
  3. "Barbara Sinatra, Frank's 4th wife and philanthropist, dies". The Wichita Eagle. July 25, 2017. Archived from the original on July 26, 2017. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  4. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line. Provo, UT, US: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.]
  5. "Barbara Sinatra, widow of singing star Frank Sinatra, dies at 90". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
  6. Sinatra, Barbara (2011). Lady Blue Eyes: My Life With Frank. New York: Crown Archetype. ISBN 978-0307382337, OCLC 767957964
  7. Marcus Errico (May 22, 1998). "Sinatra's Will Averts Family Feud". Eonline.com.
  8. Lisa Respers France. "Barbara Sinatra, widow of Frank Sinatra, dies at 90". CNN. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  9. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/14/obituaries/nancy-barbato-sinatra-dead.html
  10. "About Us". Barbarasinatrachildrenscenter.org. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  11. The Associated Press (July 25, 2017). "Barbara Sinatra, Philanthropist and Singer's Widow, Dies at 90". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  12. "Barbara Sinatra, founder of child-abuse center and widow of Frank Sinatra, is dead at 90". Theweek.com. January 1, 1970. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  13. "Palm Springs Walk of Stars by date dedicated" (PDF). Web.archive.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 13, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2017.
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