Frank Sinatra's ex-girlfriend says laughter was the secret behind their fling despite age difference

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Frank Sinatra's manager: Meds to blame for failing health

Frank Sinatra's former manager reveals an inside look into the final years of the legendary singer's life.

Actress Irene Tsu first met Frank Sinatra at a Miami hotel through a mutual friend while ol’ blue eyes was filming 1967’s “Tony Rome” — and it was an unlikely Hollywood match.

The now-73-year-old, who made her big screen debut in the 1961 film adaptation of “Flower Drum Song,” claimed to Closer Weekly Sunday the pair dated for two years.

At the time, Sinatra was 52 and had recently parted ways with his third wife, actress Mia Farrow.

Tsu, who was 23, had co-starred opposite Elvis Presley in 1966’s “Paradise, Hawaiian Style.” She claimed Sinatra was looking for excitement again after his public breakup with the “Rosemary’s Baby” star.

“I was a meditating, vegetarian hippie, and he was a meat-eating, boozing, ultra-famous person,” Tsu told the magazine. “[But] I made him laugh a lot. I brought him an elaborate train set from Japan, and we spent hours putting it together, rolling on the floor, laughing and eating popcorn.”

Irene Tsu in the 1960s. (Getty)

She described Sinatra not as the iconic entertainer, but a man who loved scrambled eggs with olive oil, crossword puzzles and “everything orange.”

“It was his favorite color,” she claimed.

Sinatra also loved a good time in his Palm Springs, Calif. home —and made sure everyone Hollywood’s top stars received an invitation to one of his sought-after parties, including Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas and Herb Alpert.

“He was so good to his guests,” she recalled. “Everything you ever wanted, you never had to lift a finger. We’d have a dinner party all weekend.”

But there was one thing Sinatra truly disliked — people coming up to him from behind.

“He was mauled so much by fans as a young singer, he developed this reaction where he would swing at his back,” she said.

And while Tsu insisted they enjoyed each other’s companionship, the relationship was not meant to last.

“His life was just too different,” she said. “We knew we weren’t really marriage material for each other.”

Sinatra ultimately moved on to his fourth and final wife, showgirl Barbara Marx. The couple tied the knot in 1976 and the union lasted until his death in 1998 at age 82 from a heart attack.

Tsu also found love with film and television director Ivan Nagy. Their marriage lasted from 1971 until 1980.

Still, Tsu claimed she and Sinatra remained good friends.

“Frank sent me a great present,” she recalled when the singer found out she was getting married. “I said, ‘I could use a washer and dryer.’ I’m so practical. He got a kick out of that.”

This isn’t the first time Tsu, who has maintained a successful acting career over the years, dished on Sinatra.

Back in 2014, she told South China’s Morning Post it was easy to fall head over heels for the star, despite their differences.

American singer and actor Elvis Presley surrounded by Koren actresses Linda Wong, American Julie Parrish, British Suzanna Leigh, American Marianna Hill, American Donna Butterworth (little girl), and Chinese Irene Tsu, on the set of "Paradise, Hawaiian Style" directed by Canadian Michael D. Moore. (Getty)

“He had the most incredible blue eyes and if he looked at you, forget it — so hard to resist,” she said at the time.

Tsu added they began dating shortly after Sinatra and Farrow called it quits.

“Age wise, there was a big difference — 30 years,” she said. “...We’d go to the most expensive restaurants in New York and I’d be a pain and order a carrot or something.”