Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner - a legendary love couple

A marriage of passion and stormy conflicts

A legendary Hollywood romance

On November 7, 1951, Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner were married. In front of their closest friends in a private ceremony. Sinatra was 35 years old and Gardner was 28.

The marriage became an explosive mix of passion, jealousy, and mutual destruction—but also a deep love that lasted a lifetime. It didn't survive Sinatra's career crisis or their own demons, but it became one of the most legendary Hollywood romances of the 20th century.

Both described their relationship as "the great love". Gardner: "We were crazy about each other - and crazy about each other". Both were unfaithful. Sinatra who had an alcohol addiction that got worse during his career crisis. The press followed every step they took.

Frank Sinatra's Swedish tour in 1953 – rain, low audience numbers and a star on the podium

In May 1953, Frank Sinatra visited Sweden for the first time, in the midst of a difficult period in his career. During the early 1950s, his popularity had declined sharply – the teenage fans from the 1940s had grown up, record sales had declined, and his voice was considered to have lost its youthful shine.

On May 29, 1953, Sinatra landed at Bromma Airport in Stockholm. He got off the plane with Ava Gardner, who was accompanying him on the tour. They stayed at the Grand Hôtel in Stockholm during their stay.

Sinatra performed, among other places, at Folkets Park in Malmö and Helsingborg on May 28. The most talked-about concert was held in Finspång's Folkets Park on May 30, 1953.

From the folk park fiasco in Sweden in 1953 to the separation in 1857

Sinatra and Gardner's marriage fell apart after the 1953 Folkpark tour in Sweden, where his fiasco and self-pity drove her away. She filmed in Spain, he followed in jealousy and depression that culminated in a suicide attempt with pills in November. Sinatra's Oscar comeback in 1954 did not help; separations followed one another while both were unfaithful – she with bullfighters, he with other movie stars. Repeated arguments and failed reunions led her to finally say "it's too late". The divorce was granted on July 5, 1957 in Mexico.

The pictures tell the story of the visit to Sweden

Photographer Anders Svahn met Sinatra and Gardner at Bromma Airport and beyond, his images tell a small part of the story and illustrate their mythical marriage.