14 Years Ago, May 14

On May 14, 1998, at 10:50 PM, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Frank Sinatra died at 82 years old.

This is, I guess, the one that I first loved, of his work.

Hope you're enjoying the Heavenly Chorus, Frank. "Thanks for the Cheer"

And, one more for the road . . .

rjm

A true Legend in his time

Is it really that long ago already? I still remember hearing the news on the radio and then they played (of course) "My Way".

I was watching the Seinfeld finale when the news broke.

I was watching the Seinfeld finale when the news broke.

As I recall it, the show was over by the time he was taken to the hospital, here in L.A. It aired earlier in NY, of course. (Dunno about the U.K. Didn't even realize that it played over there on the same night. Thanks for the info.)

Anyway, as I recall, the show was over before he called for help. (I've tried to look up the time the show went on the air, and it's not clear. They said it last I hour, 15 minutes.)

That finale was a MAJOR pop culture milestone, to which millions were looking forward. Huge ratings, huge.

So, I know its weird, but at the time, I figured Frank, like millions, wasn't going anywhere 'till he found out how it ended! (I know that sounds irreverent and all, but that's how I remember it. The two events dovetail in my mind.)

No disrespect intended. It felt like a pop-cultural harmonic convergence. There was something appropriate about the connection. Seinfeld was about (middle-class) life in The City, and really, about loneliness in The City, as was much of Frank's music and persona. I guess that's why it made a kind of sense. Jerry didn't lean against a lamppost, but he might have.

Frank-Sinatra-In-The-Wee-Small-Hours.jpg

At that point, the 20th century really did come to an end. (Which is what people used to say: "the 20th century will be over when Frank Sinatra dies.") Everything, and I mean everything, changed after that.

rjm

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