Frank Sinatra was not impressed with George Michael’s complaints about fame. He excoriated him in a 1990 letter after Michael — a huge star for about six years — told the LA Times how unhappy he was. In Sinatra’s world, you poured a couple of drinks and went back to work. But Michael was obviously not up to the crushing task of being an international icon, scrutinized constantly, unable to find any happiness despite having millions of dollars. Some entertainers bathe in the attention. And some are so unnerved they can’t go on.
Sinatra wrote:
“…no more of that talk about “the tragedy of fame.” The tragedy of fame is when no one shows up and you’re singing to the cleaning lady in some empty joint that hasn’t seen a paying customer since Saint Swithin’s day. And you’re nowhere near that; you’re top dog on the top rung of a tall ladder called Stardom, which in latin means thanks-to-the-fans who were there when it was lonely.”
