Quote of the Day (Frank Sinatra, on 'The Last Voice You Hear')

“May you live to be 100 and may the last voice you hear be mine.” – A favorite toast of Frank Sinatra (1915-1998), quoted in Tony Bennett, "That Old Sinatra Magic," Vanity Fair, August 2009

Ten years to the day after his death, Sinatra’s wish might just come to pass. Seemingly consigned to the dustbin of history after the British Invasion and the rise of the youth culture in the ‘60s, the Chairman of the Board looms larger than ever as the most significant entertainer of the 20th century—the performer with the greatest impact on popular music, the movies, and the relationship between Hollywood and politics. 

Consider all this, along with his status as an Italian-American icon, his rumored friendships with Mafia figures, and his boundless acts of generosity, and then ask yourself: Can any biographer capture his total achievement or full complexity? I doubt it.