Frank Sinatra Has Surgery for Intestinal Illness

Singer Frank Sinatra underwent nearly two hours of surgery Sunday for a painful inflammation of the large intestine that forced him to cancel a nightclub engagement in Atlantic City, N.J., a spokesman said.

Sinatra, 70, flew to the Eisenhower Medical Center near his home here Saturday night after “the pain was too severe” for him to complete the four-day engagement, his publicist, Lee Solters, said.

After a series of tests and X-rays, doctors decided to perform surgery to correct the condition, Solters said. Hospital spokesman Cliff Brown said the operation lasted slightly less than two hours.

“All went well, and there were no complications,” Brown said. “He is expected to be in the hospital seven to 10 days with a period of recovery at home after that.”

Common Ailment

Solters said Sinatra was suffering from diverticulitis, a serious inflammation of the colon that affects many people over age 50.

Sinatra performed in pain Friday night in the second of four scheduled shows at the Golden Nugget Casino in Atlantic City but was unable to go on Saturday.

“He started to feel uncomfortable probably late Friday or early Saturday morning and he took medication to see if it would alleviate it,” said Muriel Harrison, a Golden Nugget spokeswoman.

“He thought he would have to cancel his show Saturday and Sunday and then apparently he started to feel better and thought (he would) hang in there,” Harrison said. “But the discomfort became even greater and . . . they did decide to fly back to California.”