Frank Sinatra's Final Meal Was A Comfort Food Classic
Frank Sinatra was well known for his love of whiskey, so much so that he was buried with a bottle of his favorite, Jack Daniel's. Adult beverages aside, the Chairman of the Board arguably had some childlike preferences in terms of his palate. Sinatra required Tootsie Rolls on tour, preferred scrambled eggs for breakfast, and his last meal was a comfort food staple: a simple grilled cheese sandwich.
In his later years, Sinatra's health took a sharp decline. He made fewer public appearances, spending most of his time in his Beverly Hills home with his wife, Barbara. On May 14, 1998, he was served a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. Sinatra only ate half of the sandwich and suffered a heart attack later that day. He was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the ambulance reportedly got Sinatra to the hospital lightning fast, thanks in large part to the "Seinfeld" series finale airing simultaneously. Roads were clear, as many would-be motorists were inside, glued to the television. Sinatra died with his wife by his side. Reportedly, the legendary crooner's last words were: "I'm losing."
Sinatra's last meal matched his often simple tastes
Sinatra was known to like whiskey right up until the end, even while grappling with encroaching health issues. After a heart attack in 1996, Sinatra was reportedly sipping Jack Daniel's upon arriving home from the hospital. On a more wholesome note, however, many of Sinatra's favorite foods harkened back to his youth. He loved classic Italian dishes like spaghetti and meatballs and eggplant parmigiana. He also had a fondness for the simple things. Sinatra's favorite breakfast was a scrambled egg sandwich on white bread, seared in olive oil.
Perhaps, in his last years, his poor health made him crave more humble, nostalgic cuisine. By his early 80s, Sinatra suffered from ailments including dementia, bladder cancer, and heart problems (listening to Sinatra's "September of My Years," a quiet contemplation on aging, feels haunting with all of this in mind). Given what we know about Sinatra's diet, it makes sense that he would have wanted little more than a grilled cheese on the day he died. The classic sandwich was more than fitting with Sinatra's overall tastes: a down-to-earth meal associated with childhood.