Dean Martin, the “King of Cool,” never recovered after losing his “golden boy.”
The 1950s singer and member of the Rat Pack suffered tragedy in 1985, after a glittering career in Hollywood. A military plane carrying his eldest son, Dean Paul Martin, crashed into the side of a mountain during a routine exercise in 1987. Martin's son was 35 at the time of his death.
“Dean Martin's last years were very, very sad after losing his son,” author William Keck told Fox News Digital. “It was like staring at a flameless candle.”
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Dean Martin never recovered from his son's tragic death, author William Keck said. (Henry Gris/FPG/Getty Images)
Keck, a former reporter for the National Enquirer, has written a new memoir about his decades-long career, “When You Step Upon a Star: Cringeworthy Confessions of a Tabloid Bad Boy.” In it, he details the celebrities he befriended, protected and harmed.
Keck, who covered Martin's later years, said the singer was someone he was eager to protect.
“He was still the nice guy he seemed to be on television,” Keck said. “He always said hello when I came to his table. He always said, 'I'll be back on that stage someday. You'll see me.' But he didn't want to go back.”
Dean Martin is shown here in August 1995. He died on Christmas Day that year. (Fake Images)
“He ate alone, always in the same clothes,” Keck recalls. “He wore navy blue pants and a light blue shirt. He ordered the same dish: clams casino style. He let the juice from the clams drip down his shirt. At a nearby table was his ex-wife Jeanne… It was very strange to watch him. It was like watching a wax figure that barely moved.”
William Keck's book, “When You Step on a Star,” is now available in bookstores. (Jacobs Brown Media Group)
In her book, Keck described how Martin suffered from a “broken heart” after losing his son. She claimed that every night, Martin would go to the same Beverly Hills Italian restaurant, La Famiglia, where the same dish would be waiting for him. He would always be seen quietly stirring his pasta while sitting alone.
Martin always smiled at Keck whenever he saw the young writer. Martin even allowed him to take photos for his articles.
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Dean Martin is seen arriving at his favorite restaurant, La Famiglia, in 1994. (David Keeler/Getty Images)
“The problem was that it always looked like the same photo because she was wearing the same clothes every time,” Keck explained. “You couldn't be sure if it was taken six months ago or a year ago.”
Keck said she spoke to numerous friends to understand what Martin's life was like outside the spotlight. It was clear the patriarch was suffering.
Dean Paul, nicknamed “Dino Jr.,” was a man of many talents. According to People magazine, he made a name for himself playing tennis and formed a rock band with friends Desi Arnaz Jr. and Billy Hinsche. He eventually followed in his father's footsteps and turned to acting, earning him a Golden Globe nomination for his role in the 1979 film “Players.”
Dean Paul Martin Jr., circa 1977. (Reed Saxon/IMAGES/Getty Images)
According to the outlet, Dean Paul was also a semi-professional football player, race car driver and medical student. But it seems he finally found his calling when he became an Air National Guard pilot in 1981.
“I'm proud of him,” Martin said, according to the outlet. “I'd be proud even if he didn't become a jet pilot, because he's a good kid. He just doesn't know what he wants to be.”
According to The New York Times, Dean Paul and Captain Ramon Ortiz, 39, were on one of three F4-C Phantom aircraft that were conducting maneuvers near the San Bernardino Mountains. The plane went missing and the remains of both men were found six days later.
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Dean Paul Martin died in 1987 at the age of 35. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“Captain Dean Paul Martin and Captain Ramon Ortiz were killed instantly upon impact,” Air National Guard spokeswoman Sgt. Carolyn Hamilton said at the time.
According to authorities, the plane piloted by Dean Paul plunged nearly 4,000 feet from its last radar altitude reading of 9,300 feet. The outlet said it crashed into the side of the mountain at about 400 miles per hour.
“[Dean Paul’s] “Death had a huge impact on Dean Martin,” Keck said. “Everyone who knew Dean Martin would tell you that. And it was [his pal] Rich Little told me that when he lost his son, that was the end of him. It was a big part of him that died and he never recovered.
Dean Martin is seen with his children and wife Jeanne in Los Angeles. (Martin Mills/Getty Images)
The Associated Press quoted singer Paul Anka as saying the death of Martin's son was “a big turning point.”
“After that event, things changed a lot in his life,” Anka said. “He told me, 'I'm waiting to die. I'm waiting to die.'”
Martin died at his home in Beverly Hills on Christmas Day 1995. He was 78.
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Dean Martin is shown here in 1979, during happier times, with his friend Frank Sinatra. (Bob V. Noble/Fotos International/Getty Images)
“In a way, he fooled us,” Keck said. “He kept going. I remember we weren't going to miss his funeral. It was a private VIP service with all these celebrities. They all wanted to pay their respects. I remember at one point it got dark. All you could hear was Rosemary Clooney, George Clooney's aunt, singing 'Everybody Loves Somebody.'”
“It was completely surreal,” Keck admitted. “In the end, it was a friend who paid tribute to him.”
Keck said his memories of greeting Martin at the same restaurant for their stories are bittersweet.
William Keck said his memories of Dean Martin are bittersweet. (Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“I remember he would always greet me with that warm smile,” Keck said. “It was heartbreaking. I don't think his broken heart ever healed.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
