Liza Minnelli is opening up about her mother, Judy Garland, in her new memoir, Kids, Wait Till You Hear This! In a sneak preview of the book, she addressed the long-standing rumors that the late star had an affair with fellow singer Frank Sinatra.
Liza revealed that the two timeless stars shared a “passionate love” for one another. Additionally, as kids, she and her siblings would refer to the singer as “Uncle Frank,” due to his closeness with the family. She went on to describe how he supported her after her mother’s death, leading to them going on tour together.
Liza says their connection was more than just an “affair”
“During the time my parents were married, I eventually figured out that there was more between Frank and Mama than friendship. Much more,” Liza wrote in her biography, in a preview via Entertainment Weekly. She went on to call the pair “very complicated, mercurial, intense human beings.”
Despite their love for one another, Judy would “always back away from a deeper commitment.” “It diminishes their relationship to call it an ‘affair,‘” Liza continued. “It was certainly more than that, and deeply romantic.”
Although the Wizard of Oz actress was married five times, Frank was “one of the greatest loves, if not the greatest love, of her life,” according to her daughter. Judy died in 1969 at the age of 47, following an accidental barbiturate overdose. Following her death, the crooner offered to pay for the family’s funeral expenses. “He was always there for us,” Liza wrote.
The Oscar winner went on to discuss when she toured with Frank and Sammy Davis Jr., after Rat Pack member Dean Martin fell ill. She admitted that Ol’ Blue Eyes “got cranky some nights,” while on the road, but “when that happened, I’d just leave the room.” The star reflected on their relationship with great affection, and they remained close until his death in 1998.
TELL US – WILL YOU BE READING LIZA’S MEMOIR?
