An Open Letter Frank Sinatra Wrote To George Michael Has Resurfaced

George Michael was a huge star and his recent passing has the world reminiscing about his life and accomplishments. It’s no secret that he struggled with the magnitude of his fame. In 1990 the Los Angeles Time quoted him as saying this about his refusal to promote his music: “I’m not stupid enough to think that I can deal with another 10 or 15 years of major exposure. I think that is the ultimate tragedy of fame. People who are simply out of control, who are lost. I’ve seen so many of them, and I don’t want to be another cliché.”

George Michael didn’t want to be another cliché.

Another person who is no stranger to the trappings of fame is Frank Sinatra who felt compelled to write George Michael a letter to encourage him to feel differently about it all. In fact, Sinatra had both ups and downs during his career. He experienced a drop in the 1940’s but he ended up turning it around with a revitalized musical career and also won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in ‘From Here To Eternity.’

In this letter, Sinatra wrote to George, “Come on, George. Loosen up. Swing, man. Dust off those gossamer wings and fly yourself to the moon of your choice and be grateful to carry the baggage we’ve all had to carry since those lean nights of sleeping on buses and helping the driver unload the instruments.”

Here’s the letter:

This letter came at a time when George was working on his next album ‘Listen without Prejudice Vol. 1’ and although it wasn’t the big, international hit that ‘Faith’ was, it did sell well in the United Kingdom. Still, Frank’s words inspired him to continue performing for the next two decades until his recent, premature death on Christmas Day at the age of 53.

Frank Sinatra tells George Michael to “be grateful”.