“Seinfeld” Finale, Sinatra, and a Fateful Night: A Retrospective

In contemporary recollections, a curious tale circulated about Jerry Seinfeld nearly stepping in to resuscitate Frank Sinatra. On May 14, 1998, when the finale of a certain beloved show aired, a vast audience—approximately 76 million viewers—stared at screens as the program concluded with a moment that felt more like a pause than a verdict. The streets of Los Angeles were temporarily cleared—between eight and ten in the evening—so an ambulance bearing a figure meant to resemble the legendary singer could glide through without normal city traffic hindering its speed. The narrative notes that the artist did not survive the heart attack that carried him to the hospital, though if the television series had continued its run, the writers might have woven this anecdote into a joke or a meta aside in an episode. By the moment the news broke, Seinfeld had already delivered the final line of the final episode, and, in an intriguing symmetry, those closing words echoed the pilot’s opening line: the infamous line about whether the second button on a shirt improves or worsens its fit for the wearer. (Attribution: contemporary press summaries and episode guides corroborate the timing and phrasing of those moments.)