Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/ Nancy Sinatrahas made sure people will remember her in more ways than one. The daughter ofFrank Sinatra, who celebrates her 85th birthday on Sunday, June 8, 2025, followed in her father's musical footsteps from an early age. She eventually broke through with "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," which became a femme-fatale anthem in the pop and country music canon. Outside of music, she had a brief stint as an actress and published two biographies about her dad. All the while, she raised two daughters, whom she had with her late husband Hugh Lambert. As Nancy turns 85, look back on her life and career in photos, from her childhood with father Frank to her brief stint as an actress, music and motherhood. Bettmann Nancy Sinatra was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, on June 8, 1940, to legendary singer Frank Sinatra and his first wifeNancy Barbato. She was the eldest of three children, growing up with brother Frank Jr. and sister Christina. In the late '50s, Nancy attended the University of California, Los Angeles to study dance, music and voice, but she dropped out after one year. Bettmann She had a close relationship with her father personally and professionally. In 1957, she made her on-screen debut in her dad's television seriesThe Frank Sinatra Showand also appeared in his 1960 specialThe Frank Sinatra Timex Show: Welcome Home Elvis. "It was electric to be with him," she described her father. "There's only one Frank." The love was mutual. In a 2021 sit-down with PEOPLE, Nancy remembered her father introducing himself as "Nancy's father" onstage out of pride for his daughter's success. Marka/Universal Images Group Nancy married pop singer Tommy Sands in a 1960 ceremony held in Las Vegas. Throughout their relationship, she set aside her musical aspirations, admitting to theIrish Timesthat she "made the stumbling block." "I was living in a fairy tale," she told PEOPLE of their marriage in 2021. "He was not happy being married, and one day he just left." Hulton Archive/Getty She made her film debut in the 1964 movieFor Those Who Think Youngand acted in two more of American International Pictures' "beach party" flicks,Get Yourself a College Girl(also 1964) andThe Ghost in the Invisible Bikini(1966). Youtube At the end of 1965, Nancy recorded the Lee Hazlewood-written song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," which became a career-defining hit. It reached No. 1 on theBillboardHot 100 and earned her twoGrammynominations at the 9th annual ceremony. The song — which was later covered byBilly Ray CyrusandJessica Simpson— was initially meant for Hazlewood to sing, but Nancy convinced him to let a woman record it. "I just told him the truth: that I didn't think it was good for a man to sing it, that it sounded kind of ugly, and that a girl should sing it and it would be better. And he realized I was right," Nancy toldRolling Stonein 2021. In 1968, Nancy starred oppositeElvis Presleyin the 1968 musicalSpeedway, playing the rock star's love interest, IRS agent Susan Jacks. The movie was her last acting endeavor, aside from cameos as herself onChina BeachandThe Sopranos. Reflecting on working with the late Presleyto PEOPLE in 2021, she said, "I know he was the funniest man and probably the most serious man I knew, both people in one." Michael Ochs Archives/Getty She went on to land multiple chart hits in the years following her divorce from Sands, including a Bond theme song and a duet with her father, "Somethin' Stupid." Frank and Nancy became the first and only father-daughter duo to hit No. 1 on theBillboardHot 100, and it also earned them a nomination for Record of the Year at the 10th annual Grammys. "He knew I was nervous, but he made it fun," Nancy told PEOPLE of recording with her dad. "He was silly and funny and made the nerves go away." Bettmann/Getty After marrying choreographer and dancer Hugh Lambert in 1970, the couple welcomed two daughters together: AJ, born in 1974, and Amanda, born in 1976. The pair remained together until Hugh's death from cancer in 1985. On March 31, 2025, she posted a birthday tribute to her late husband 40 years after his death. "Hughie was a wonderful man, so funny and very handsome, with warm hazel eyes and great hair," she wrote onFacebook. "I adored him. He was the love of my life and I'll miss him for the rest of my days. Amazon She published two books about her famous dad, the authorized biographyFrank Sinatra, My Fatherin 1985 andFrank Sinatra: An American Legendin 1995. After her father's death in 1998 at age 82, Nancy told theVancouver Sunthat it was difficult to grieve someone who had such a ubiquitous presence and impact. "The man was probably one of the most photographed people who ever lived," she said. "You hear his music everywhere, without warning. It's like constantly being bombarded, like somebody putting their fingers in the wound. No, it's not easy." Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage She received her Hollywood Walk of Fame star in a 2006 ceremony with her mother, also named Nancy, and siblings in attendance. Nancy Sr. died in 2018 at age 101, and the "Boots" singer called her mom "the most influential person" in her life. "I still rely on her wisdom, kindness, sweetness and her toughness. She was a strong lady," she said in 2021. D Dipasupil/Getty Nancy raised her two daughters with Hugh alone after his 1985 death. Every year, the singer posts birthday wishes to her children on Instagram. For AJ's 50th birthday in May 2024, Nancy recalled "complications" like a "miscarriage on stage" before she and Hugh welcomed their eldest daughter. "I was finally a mom and my dad finally had a blue-eyed child in his life," she wrote under ababy photo. "Happy HAPPY birthday, AJ! I love you so much and I'm very proud of you and your father would be too." "I'm so lucky," she told PEOPLE of motherhood in 2021. Isaac Brekken/Getty The singer remains active on social media, promoting her daughter AJ's projects, reflecting on the past and celebrating her friends and family members. She credits her enduring legacy to her fans' continued support over the years: "Without them, there would be no Nancy right now. She'd just be an old lady getting older," she said. Read the original article onPeople
