Dino Paul Crocetti Jr was born in 1951. He was given the birth name of his father who was better known as, Dean Martin. As a toddler one of Dino Paul’s babysitters was Marilyn Monroe. Dino Jr also later had a name change to Dean Paul Martin. He would die tragically only 35 years after his birth.
A talented young man, he found success in three fields, singing, tennis and acting. He found it difficult to concentrate on one thing.
In 1965 he formed a pop trio with Lucille Ball’s son, Desi, and a friend, Billy Hinsche. They had 3 hits including one in the Top 20. At different times they were the opening act for The Beach Boys, Mamas and Papas, and Paul Revere and the Raiders.
He had a passion for tennis and competed in a qualifying competition at Wimbledon. He parlayed this into a movie, Players, with Ali McGraw, where he acted as a professional tennis player. For this he was nominated for a Golden Globe as, New Star of the Year.
I remember him best for his series, Misfits of Science, where he co-starred with a pre-Friends, Courtney Cox.
Also, very handsome, he was quite the ladies man marrying, and divorcing, twice in his short life. His first was to actress, Olivia Hussey, the second to Olympic gold medallist, Dorothy Hamill. His father, Dean, was very close to him. “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.”
His life ended on March 21, 1987. He was a keen pilot who obtained his license aged only 16 and later became an officer in the California Air National Guard. He had been encouraged to join by his mother, Jeannie, who also loved to fly. On that day he was on a routine mission piloting an F-4C Phantom along with 2 other planes. Weather conditions were not good and a snowstorm developed. The group leader was aware of the approaching danger and asked permission for the 3 craft to climb. This was denied as this would have put them into the path of commercial flights.
What happened next is not exactly clear. Ground control became worried over the deteriorating weather conditions and ordered them to change course. For whatever reason the order, by Paul, was ignored and the ground crew became more frantic when they realised he was not changing course. Moments later the craft slammed into a mountain at 560 mph killing Dean and his co-pilot, the only two passengers.
Authorities could only hazard a guess as to what happened. Theories were, perhaps he had become disorientated, or experienced vertigo in the severe snow storm. There had been no malfunction and the two men had made no attempt to eject. It was several days before the remains of the 2 pilots were found.
One of friends said in a People Magazine article reporting his death committed, “His life was fuller than most people 100 years old. The problem with Dean is that he was too good at too many things. He had a lot of money and he’d spend it freely. He went through Ferraris when he was a kid. He was terrific looking, from a famous family, and he had talent. When you have all those things on your plate—well, it’s hard to resist someone like that.”
Dean, naturally, took it extremely badly Paul Anka said that his son’s death was a huge turning point. “After that event in his life, things really changed,” Anka recalled. “He said to me: `I’m just waiting to die. Just waiting to die.’ “
Dean himself died just 8 years later.