The December Of His Life

Everyone knew Frank Sinatra was ill.

But almost to his last day, his family vehemently denied deathbed rumors hounding the reclusive entertainer who spent time at the hospital at least three times this year.

"The rumors are just crazy. You can't believe it. He's doing very well," his wife Barbara Sinatra told The Associated Press during a telephone interview last month.

Sinatra wasn't seen in public since before a January 1997 heart attack, which spawned tabloid reports that he was gravely ill and had been given last rites by the Catholic church.

On January 9, 1997, the entertainer was stricken at his Beverly Hills home with what his doctor described as an "uncomplicated" heart attack. He was released Jan. 17.

In January of this year, Sinatra spent the night at the hospital for a checkup. A month later, he was hospitalized for two days while undergoing undisclosed tests.

About three weeks ago, Sinatra spent several hours at the hospital for what publicist Susan Reynolds called a routine checkup. Reynolds fielded nearly weekly calls about Sinatra's health.
And in February, the Sinatra children, led by Nancy Sinatra, posted a message on the family's World Wide Web site condemning a newspaper report that reported the entertainer had cancer.