Sinatra name not always a blessing

NEW YORK, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- New York-area residents with the last name Sinatra say having the same last name as a late celebrity is not as great as you might think.

Francesco Sinatra Sr. of Staten Island alleged TV actor Tony Danza was so insistent to meet a possible relative of the late crooner Frank Sinatra that he continually pressured him in 2005, the New York Post reported Sunday.

Francis A. Sinatra, a cousin of Francesco's, said his famous last name nearly stopped him from attending Iona College.

"My mother had sent a check, and I never heard back from them," the 55-year-old said. "My mother called, and whoever she spoke to said they had just disregarded the application because they thought it was a joke."

The Post said while New Jersey native Frank P. Sinatra Jr. got a free meal at New York's Rainbow Room thanks to his last name, he left quickly before eatery workers learned he was not related to the music great.

"They said, 'We can't take your money. You're grandfather was like a god here,'" Sinatra Jr. said.

"I looked at my girlfriend and said, 'We've got to get out of here right now.'"