Frank Sinatra’s legacy has always extended beyond music, style, and swagger—and according to Paul Anka, that reputation also followed him into far more personal territory.
In a recent interview with Page Six, Anka addressed a decades-old rumor about Frank Sinatra being unusually well-endowed. Asked directly whether the stories were true, the singer-songwriter didn’t hesitate. “Yeah, it was huge,” Anka said. “I don’t know what that does for you!”
Anka, now 84, explained that the subject wasn’t exactly hearsay. During Sinatra’s Rat Pack era, Anka frequently spent time with the legendary crooner in Las Vegas, where the group—including Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop—often relaxed together after long nights onstage.
That downtime occasionally included group sauna visits, which is where Anka says the visual evidence became impossible to ignore. “I had trouble with eye contact,” Anka joked, describing the awkwardness of sharing close quarters with Sinatra.
While Sinatra’s reputation was firmly established, Anka noted that the singer wasn’t necessarily the most famously endowed celebrity he encountered. According to Anka, comedian Milton Berle ultimately took the top spot. “Crazy, of all people—Milton Berle!” he said.
Rumors surrounding Sinatra’s anatomy weren’t born in a vacuum. Sinatra’s second wife, actress Ava Gardner, allegedly fueled the legend herself. According to Vanity Fair, when questioned during an interview about why she remained with Sinatra despite their notoriously volatile marriage, Gardner reportedly replied, “Well, I’ll tell you—nineteen pounds is cock.”
The couple was married from 1951 to 1957 following Sinatra’s divorce from his first wife, Nancy Barbato.
Sinatra would go on to marry Mia Farrow in 1966 and later settle into his longest marriage with Barbara Marx in 1976. In her memoir Lady Blue Eyes, Marx reflected on Sinatra’s lasting appeal, writing that his presence alone made it clear “he was a great lover and true gentleman” who deeply loved the company of women.
Anka’s bond with Sinatra extended well beyond locker-room mythology. He is famously behind the English-language lyrics for “My Way,” adapted from the French song “Comme d’habitude.”
Reflecting on the writing process, Anka recalled feeling something special as the words came together. “One of the few times where I sat there saying, ‘I think I’ve really got something,’” he said.