Dean Martin shot to fame in the 1950s when he joined Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. to form The Rat Pack. They went on to dominate the music industry and became a group of legendary proportions. Yet, despite all the hype surrounding Dean, his daughter had no idea her father was a celebrity until all her friends started begging to meet him. It was at that point that it all began to make sense to Deana Martin.
"When I started going to school, that's when I found out that maybe everybody wanted to meet my dad," the 71-year-old told Fox News of the moment she realized that her father was not like other regular dads.
Deana recalled one day when she went to the movie theater with her sisters and saw a marquee that read; "Dean Martin in 'Rio Bravo.'" Her father was the star of the film and she had not known until then.
Deana said she thought it was "very cool" how people around her were suddenly gushing over Dean without registering that he was her father.
"To hear people say that and not know that I was his daughter, it was wonderful," she said.
As the daughter of "The King of Cool," Deana and her father formed many lasting memories but a handful of them she will always cherish -- like her 16th birthday. Deana wanted a coat for a present so Dean cut short his game of golf to take her to pick one out at Wilsons House of Suede.
"When I got there and all of the sales ladies were running around him, 'Oh My God, it's Dean Martin.' And he sat there while I tried on every coat, with every style and everything," she said. "And he was so sweet to do it."
Deana also vividly remembers growing up with The Rat Pack.
"It was fantastic," she said, recalling how the band once performed several fundraising events in support of John F. Kennedy, who was running for president at the time.
"And there was one day they were going to do a fundraiser in Beverly Hills at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and they had their suits delivered to our house, tuxedos," Deana continued. "There was a large one for my dad, medium-size one for uncle Frank and then one for Sammy Davis Jr. For uncle Sammy, and it was so cute, I had to try it on. It fit me perfectly. I danced around the house singing 'Mr. Bojangles' or some song. That's when I thought right then, 'Wouldn't it be amazing to be on stage with Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.?' And that's why I say, dreams come true. So dream big because I finally was singing with all of them and it was just spectacular for me."
Singing alongside her dad and the rest of the band ignited a passion in Deana, who went on to pursue her own musical career.
After Dean died in 1995 at 78 from acute respiratory failure, she picked up his torch. His legacy now continues through Deana, who each day takes to heart the invaluable advice her father bestowed upon her- "hit your mark, know all of your lyrics and sing from your heart." That, she said was what he taught her and that was the way he was, "just sweet and kind."
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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