Dean Martin Couldn’t Get Past the Death of His “Golden Boy”
A parent should never have to lose a child but sometimes that is the harsh truth of life and this was the heartbreaking reality for crooner and Rat Pack member Dean Martin. In 1987, Martin lost his son, Dean Paul Martin, in a military jet crash when he was only 35 years old. Author William Keck, who was a former reporter for the National Enquirer, said that he noticed a huge change in Martin after he lost his son. Martin passed away just a few years later, in 1995 at the age of 78.
Keck, who was a reporter during Martin’s final years, shared, “He was still the nice man that he seemed to be on television. He would always greet me when I came over to his table. He would always say, ‘I’ll be back on that stage one day. You’ll see me.’ But he was done.”
Mario Casilli/TV Guide/courtesy Everett Collection
“He would eat by himself, always wearing the same outfit,” Keck continued, “It was navy pants and a light blue shirt. He would order the same dish — clams casino. He would just let the clam juice drip down his shirt. At a nearby table would be his ex-wife Jeanne… It was very strange to observe. It was like seeing a wax figure that was barely moving around.”
Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
It was clear that Martin was suffering from a broken heart after the loss of his son, whom he once called his “golden boy.” Dean Paul, often called Dino Jr., was not only serving in the military but he had been a semi-professional football player, an actor, a pre-med student and a race car driver. He certainly had a lot of exciting interests and Martin said about his son after he joined the Air National Guard, “I’m proud of him. I’d be proud even if he didn’t become a jet pilot because he’s a good boy. He just doesn’t know what he wants to be.”
Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Martin had eight children altogether including Dean Paul, Craig, Claudia, Gail, Deana, Ricci, Gina and Sasha.
Remind 
Favorite TV Families
April 2019
Celebrate the best of the best of TV families!
Buy This Issue