"People who understand music hear sounds that no one else makes when Sinatra Sings."

- Walter Cronkite
"Let's Face it, - Sinatra is a king.  He's a very sharp operator, a keen record chief, and has a keen appreciation of what the public wants."

- Bing Crosby
"The kid's name is Sinatra.  He considers himself the greatest vocalist in the business.  No one ever heard of him.  He looks like a wet rag.  But he says he's the greatest."

- Harry James
"I always felt that, behind the shrewd, sometimes manic eyes was the deep recognition that the truth was more than he had yet seen, and his sometimes abuse of power was an important struggle to find and understand it."

- Shirley MacLaine
"Every woman wants to have him, every man wants to be him."

 

Reflection
"Frank Sinatra's voice expresses more eloquence that I can ever say in mere words."

- Billy Joel
"Frank Sinatra is one of the greatest performers of this century... I have grown up with Frank Sinatra and he will be deeply missed."

- British Prime Minister Tony Blair
"He of course had his talent, his charisma and his voice, but he also had his personality, warm, passionate...I had the chance to meet him and there was immediate sympathy between us. He will not be replaced."

- French President Jacques Chirac
"One of Sinatra's favorite toasts to make with glass in hand was, 'May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.'  The master is gone but his voice will live forever."

 - Tony Bennett
"I extend my deepest condolences to all of the Sinatra family at this difficult time.  I was fortunate to have known and worked with one of the great entertainers of our time.  He was also a humanitarian and social equalizer who was a trail blazer in the industry.  To me, he will always be 'Chairman of the Board.'  I will miss him.  My heart goes out to all of his family."

  - Tommy Sands
"I think every American would have to smile and say he really did do it his way."

-President Clinton
"Today, the sound of heaven's chorus is a little brighter and more beautiful as our dear friend, Frank Sinatra, joins its ranks.  Frank's golden gift made him a Hollywood icon.  He sang about real people and real emotions; his songs and music transcend age and time.  We will never forget when Frank performed at our inaugural celebrations - it made those evenings much more special to the both of us."

- President Reagan and Nancy Reagan
"He was the epitome of what singing is all about, beautiful sounds, smooth as silk, effortless, impeccable phrasing, stylish, intelligent and full of heart."

- Barbara Streisand
"We have lost part of our capacity to self-reflect because Frank is gone.  His music helped us understand our own lives more clearly because he was authenitcally honest about himself.  I am so sad for all of us who are now without him."

- Shirley MacLaine

"Frank knew how to do it.  Everything. ...It humbles me to have been a small part of his gigantic presence."

 - Quincy Jones
"He was the first love of my life and he remained a true friend, always there when I needed him.  I will miss him more than words can say."

- Mia Farrow
"The world has now lost one of the most precious commodities. ...In all memories, from childhood to romance to the mature years, Frank has been with us in all times.  He gave so much of himself and much more than people realized.  It is a sad day today because Frank touched everyone in the world."

- Ernest Borgnine

 

Bono's Speech at the 1994 Grammys

(Sinatra called it "probably the best introduction I've ever had.")

Frank never did like Rock and Roll
And he's not crazy about guys wearing earrings either
But he doesn't hold it against me
And anyway, the feeling is not mutual

Rock and Roll people love Frank Sinatra because Frank has got what we want:
swagger and attitude
he's big on attitude
Serious attitude, bad attitude
Frank's the Chairman of the bad
Rock and Roll plays at being tough but this guy, well, he's the boss
The boss of bosses
The man
The big bang of pop
I'm not gonna mess with him, are you?

Who's this guy that every city in America wants to claim as their own?
This painter who lives in the desert, this first-rate, first-take actor
This singer who makes other men poets
Boxing clever with every word
Talking like America
Tough, straight-up, in headlines
Comin' through with the big stick, the aside, the quiet compliment
Good cop, bad cop, all in the same breath
You know his story 'cause it's your story
Frank walks like America -- cock-sure

It's 1945 and the U.S. Cavalry are trying to get their asses out of Europe,
but they never really do
They're part of another kind of invasion AFR -- American Forces Radio (sic)
Broadcasting a music that'll curl the stiff upper-lip of England and the rest of the world
Paving the way for Duke Ellington, the big band, Tommy Dorsey
And right out in front... Frank Sinatra
His voice as tight as a fist
Opening at the end of a bar
Not on the beat, over it, playing with it, splitting it like a jazz man, like Miles Davis
Turning on the right phrase and the right song
Which is where he lives, where he lets go, where he reveals himself
His songs are his home and he lets you in
But you know that to sing like that you've gotta have lost a couple of fights
To know tenderness and romance you've gotta have had your heart broken

People say that Frank hasn't talked to the press,
they wanna know how he is, what's on his mind
But you know Sinatra's out there more nights than most punk bands
Selling his story through the songs
Telling and articulate in the choice of those songs
Private thoughts on a public address system
Generous

This is the conundrum of Frank Sinatra
Left and right brain hardly talking
Boxer and painter, actor and singer, lover and father, bandman and loner
Troubleshooter and troublemaker
The champ who would rather show you his scars than his medals
He may be putty in Barbara's hands
But I'm not gonna mess with him, are you?
Ladies and gentlemen, are you ready to welcome a man heavier than the Empire State, more
connected than the Twin Towers, as recognizable as the Statue of Liberty, and living
proof that God is a Catholic!
Will you welcome the King of New York City, Francis Albert Sinatra!

 

Howard Cosell's Introduction

The Main Event - October 13, 1974

Live, from New York, the city whose landmarks are famous all over the world, a world center for shipping, transportation, communications, finance, fashions and above all entertainment. A city that pulsates always because of the millions of people who live here, work here, visit here. And in the heart of the metropolis, the great arena: Madison Square Garden, which has created and housed so many champions, and which is why tonight from the Garden the most enduring champion of them all, Frank Sinatra, comes to the entire western hemisphere live with The Main Event: Frank Sinatra in Concert!

Madison Square Garden, October 13 1974. Jam-packed with twenty thousand people plus - just people, people from all walks of life, people who are young and people who are old, here to see, hear, pay homage to a man who has bridged four generations and somehow never found a gap.

Hello again everyone, I'm Howard Cosell, and I've been here so many times, and in a curious way, this event, live, with the king of entertainment, carries with it the breathless excitement and anticipation of a heavyweight championship fight. Celebrities are here in profusion, one after another. Rex Harrison! Professor Higgins, if you will. Carol Channing - hello, Dolly. Walter Cronkite, Mr. Believable, and of course the great romantic hero Robert Redford, but here, coming through the same tunnel as so many champions have walked before, the great man, Frank Sinatra, who has the phrasing, who has the control, who understands the composers, who knows what losing means as so many have, who made the great comeback, who stands still, enduringly, on top of the entertainment world.

Ladies and gentlemen, from here on in it's Frank Sinatra!