In the rock & roll era, we have come to accept the offspring of legends to follow in their parents' footsteps—Jakob Dylan, Sean and Julian Lennon, Ziggy and numerous other Marleys, Louise Goffin and Jeff Buckley come quickly to mind. That was not the case in Frank Sinatra’s generation.

His only son, Frank Sinatra Jr., who died 3/16 at the age of 72, tried the impossible—matching the charisma and vocal talent of his one-of-a-kind father—before accepting a place in the service of his father’s talents, leading his band and preserving his legacy.

Sinatra died at a Daytona Beach, Fla., hospital; his sister Nancy wrote on her Facebook page that her brother died of cardiac arrest. Sinatra was on his Sinatra Sings Sinatra tour, having performed 3/13 in Melbourne, Fla., and scheduled to perform in Daytona Beach on 3/16 and St. Petersberg on 3/17. "Sleep warm, Frankie, " Nancy wrote, a nod to a tune Dean Martin recorded in the late 1950s with Frank Sr. conducting.

Francis Wayne Sinatra, son of Nancy and sibling of Nancy and Tina, learned the ropes similar to way the way his father did, starting with big bands. But Frank Jr. did it at time between the death of Buddy Holly and the arrival of The Beatles, studying with the Duke Ellington Orchestra and performing with his father’s peers when the appetite for songs of the ’40s and early ’50s had greatly diminished.

Before he had any recognition as a singer, he was kidnapped in 1963 at the age of 19 for two days. The case raised his profile—there were accusations it was a publicity stunt—as his father paid the ransom and the kidnappers were apprehended and convicted.

Two years later, he made his recording debut for his father’s label, Reprise, recording Great American Songbook titles such as “Love for Sale,” “I Only Have Eyes for You” and “’S Wonderful,” much in the manner of his father’s recordings, which were in their own pre-“Strangers in the Night” commercial recess. He was, however, able to tour the world, appear on TV variety shows and set up shop in Las Vegas; unlike his father, though, he was an opening act.

The 1960s and 1970s were not particularly kind to his brand of music, but he stuck to his guns recording adult-oriented material that weaved between the songs of father’s era and songs associated with Harry Nilsson and The Carpenters, as well as his own originals. He never had a hit under his own name.

The training he received with the big bands, though, paid off when he assumed the job of leading his father’s band in the late 1980s, which he did admirably up until Frank Sr. called it quits.

Sinatra Jr. made a new record in 2006, That Face!, which Rhino released and exposed the Sinatra style—father and son—to a new generation. For the next decade, while performing consistently on the road, Frank Jr. honored and furthered the legacy of his father, whose centennial was in December. A year ago, he spoke at SXSW, noting that working for his father "was a learning experience. There are many times I would get undressed to get into the shower, and I'd turn around and look at the buttocks on my backside and see a size 7 footprint on them."