Dean Martin’s youngest son, Ricci, dies at 62
Ricci Martin, the musician son of entertainment legend Dean Martin, has died. He was 62.
Martin died Wednesday at his home in Utah, his family announced Saturday. A cause of death has not been determined.
The youngest son of Dean Martin, Ricci Martin became an entertainer himself.
He was an occasional Las Vegas performer, with locals-oriented dates including a November 2014 triple bill at the M Resort with fellow show-business children Lorna Luft and Steve March-Torme. He also sang occasionally in suburban casinos such as the Suncoast in 2007.
In late 2002, Martin tested the waters for a tribute to his father with a month’s run in a cabaret-sized venue at the Riviera.
“I’m more at ease with the idea of singing the standards,” he said then, when he was on the cusp of 49. Before that he preferred ’60s rock and pop, stepping into the shoes of late brother Dean Paul to carry on the legacy of Dino, Desi & Billy with Desi Arnaz Jr. and Billy Hinsche.
“No one can do Dad, for crying out loud. No one can be Dad, and I’m not trying to do it,” he said of the show that put his father’s standards in the context of family photos and recollections.
In 2002, Martin wrote a memoir, “That’s Amore,” about growing up in Beverly Hills, California, as a member of the famous family.
Martin is survived by three daughters, Pepper, Montana and Rio; his mother, Jeanne Martin; his older brother, Craig; and four sisters, Gail, Deana, Gina and Sasha.
Las Vegas Review-Journal reporter Mike Weatherford contributed to this report.