--- title: Frank Sinatra to George Michael: 'Talent Must Not Be Wasted' description: Read the open letter Frank Sinatra once wrote to the late George Michael about his reluctance to embrace fame. canonical: https://time.com/4618347/frank-sinatra-george-michael-letter/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-12-27T17:24:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:38.116Z og:title: Frank Sinatra’s Advice for George Michael Works for Everyone og:description: "Talent must not be wasted" og:url: https://time.com/4618347/frank-sinatra-george-michael-letter/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteaeddaf27f983675/6988b409cf40a83c23c45ef9/frank-sinatra.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Photo of Frank SINATRA og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Frank Sinatra’s Advice for George Michael Works for Everyone twitter:description: "Talent must not be wasted" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteaeddaf27f983675/6988b409cf40a83c23c45ef9/frank-sinatra.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Frank Sinatra’s Letter to George Michael Has Good Advice for Everyone > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: In Memoriam: George Michael [Watch (HLS stream): In Memoriam: George Michael](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/XaA4TtlV.m3u8) (0:59)  _Published 2016-12-26. George Michael, who rocketed to stardom with WHAM! and went on to enjoy a long and celebrated solo career lined with controversies, has died, his publicist said Sunday. He was 53._ by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Dec 27, 2016 5:24 PM UTC  Frank Sinatra next to microphone recording at Columbia Recording studios, Liederkrantz Hall. Frank Sinatra next to microphone recording at Columbia Recording studios, Liederkrantz Hall. William Gottlieb—Redferns/Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Dec 27, 2016 5:24 PM UTC In 1990, [George Michael](http://time.com/4618010/10-essential-songs-george-michael/?iid=sr-link5) balked at the pressures of fame and celebrity in an interview. [Frank Sinatra](http://time.com/3619112/frank-sinatra-portraits-of-the-voice-in-1965/?iid=sr-link3)’s advice? “Come on, George. Loosen up. Swing, man.” When [Michael](http://time.com/4617922/george-michael-james-corden-carpool-karaoke/?iid=sr-link6) released his sophomore solo album _Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1_, he told the [_Los Angeles Times’_ ](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-george-michael-fame-archive-20161225-story.html) _Calendar_ magazine that fame had made him “miserable” and he didn’t want to feel that way again. Sinatra read the interview and was not having it. He wrote Michael an open letter, which was published in the magazine a week later. In the letter, which was later published by [Letters of Note](http://www.lettersofnote.com/2010/05/come-on-george-loosen-up-swing-man.html?m=1) and has [resurfaced](https://twitter.com/bengreenman/status/813370722450112512) in the wake of Michael’s [unexpected death](http://time.com/4617888/george-michael-singer-dead/?iid=sr-link3) on Christmas Day at the age of 53, Sinatra publicly brushed off Michael’s concerns about the burdens of celebrity and gave the young star some advice. “[Talent](http://time.com/4617893/george-michael-dead-celebrities-mourn/?iid=sr-link7) must not be wasted,” wrote Sinatra. “Those who have it — and you obviously do or today’s Calendar cover article would have been about Rudy Vallee — those who have talent must hug it, embrace it, nurture it and share it lest it be taken away from you as fast as it was loaned to you.” Sinatra continued: “The tragedy of fame is when no one shows up and you’re singing to the cleaning lady in some empty joint that hasn’t seen a paying customer since Saint Swithin’s day. And you’re nowhere near that; you’re top dog on the top rung of a tall ladder called Stardom, which in Latin means thanks-to-the-fans who were there when it was lonely.” In case Michael needed additional bona fides from [Old Blue Eyes](http://time.com/4139037/frank-sinatra-centennial/?iid=sr-link2), Sinatra ended his letter by noting, “Trust me. I’ve been there.” While it’s unclear whether [Michael](http://time.com/4617930/george-michael-wham-china/?iid=sr-link4) ever saw the letter, it is clear that everyone could learn something from Sinatra. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4618347/frank-sinatra-george-michael-letter/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4618347/frank-sinatra-george-michael-letter/"},"headline":"Frank Sinatra’s Letter to George Michael Has Good Advice for Everyone","datePublished":"2016-12-27T17:24:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:47:38.116Z","description":"\"Talent must not be wasted\"","url":"https://time.com/4618347/frank-sinatra-george-michael-letter/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Music","frank sinatra","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteaeddaf27f983675/6988b409cf40a83c23c45ef9/frank-sinatra.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteaeddaf27f983675/6988b409cf40a83c23c45ef9/frank-sinatra.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Photo of Frank SINATRA","caption":"Photo of Frank SINATRA","creditText":"William Gottlieb—Redferns/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4618347/frank-sinatra-george-michael-letter/","name":"Frank Sinatra’s Letter to George Michael Has Good Advice for Everyone"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"In Memoriam: George Michael","description":"George Michael, who rocketed to stardom with WHAM! and went on to enjoy a long and celebrated solo career lined with controversies, has died, his publicist said Sunday. 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