Nancy Sinatra Continues To Be Graceful Figure At 80

Oct 06, 2020

Nancy Sinatra was a bombshell of the 1960s and beyond, but despite being the daughter of Frank Sinatra, her entry into stardom wasn't always the smoothest. Here, we take a look at her life and career, and how she looks now at 80!

Born on June 8, 1940, Nancy Sinatra was the eldest daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Barbato Sinatra. While just a baby, the family moved to Hasbrouck Heights in New Jersey, although their idyllic house in the suburbs there wouldn't be for long. Nancy told The Guardian in an interview in 2008:

"We moved to Hasbrouck Heights and had a lovely little house there, but you could get to the windows from the street—once people knew he lived there, they would come to get a glimpse, which worried my mother because I was a tiny little toddler, and she didn't want anybody stealing me from the front yard."

Following in her father's footsteps, Nancy began a career in singing, however, despite her famous connections, the entry wasn't the smoothest. After her first singles were failures, Nancy came close to being dropped by her father's record label Reprise Records, but sure enough, she was given singing lessons and adopted a new image and her star began to rise.

The family had moved to California at this point so that Frank could be closer to Hollywood, which allowed Nancy to take dancing, acting, voice, and piano lessons. In the following years, she enrolled in college, dropped out after one year, was married and divorced, and was nearly dropped from Reprise Records. But her luck changed after songwriter Lee Hazlewood taught her how to sing in a lower tone, and she adopted a mod style popularized in London, known as the "Carnaby Street" look.

Then in 1966, she had her most memorable hit These Boots Are Made For Walking, which even featured a music video—a rare occurrence in the era before MTV. The song is still often played today, and at the time reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, as well as earning her three Grammy nominations.

Nancy followed this career highlight with other successful tracks including Sugar Town and How Does That Grab You, Darlin'?, as well as starring in movies, where she played the lead role in The Wild Angels with Peter Fonda and Speedway alongside Elvis Presley

However, after a while in the limelight, she stepped away in the 1970s to focus on family with her second husband Hugh Lambert. After raising her two daughters with him, Lambert tragically died of cancer in 1985.

But that wasn't the end of stardom for Sinatra. In 1995 she posed for Playboy at the age of 54, showing that she still looked absolutely stunning. She also released her third album with guest musicians including Bono and Morrissey, who was a mentor to her. She published two books about her dad and even received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. A true icon, Nancy's influence will forever be felt.

Are you a fan of Nancy Sinatra? Let us know your favorite moment of hers in the comments! Then be sure to pass this on to any fans of hers you know!