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The Singer
Bill Gates

He loved, he brawled, he had style, he had guts, he could even act. And, oh yeah, he defined American pop


BY BRUCE HANDY

Frank Sinatra has received far too many tributes already. Even before his death last month there was the 80th-birthday hoopla of 2 1/2 years ago, followed by the flock of recently published books circling, vulture-like, in clear anticipation of his passing. At this point any recounting of his accomplishments--his unassailable greatness as a singer, his somewhat more assailable greatness as an actor, his impeccable taste as a curator of the great American songbook, his ancillary talents as both philanthropist and thug, his status as a totem of midcentury masculinity--inevitably takes on a dutiful, ritualistic air. So what better way to breathe a little life into the process than with an insult?

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SIDEBAR: Porter, Arlen, the Gershwins: They Wrote the Songs




POLL:
Do you believe Bill Gates was one of the 20 most influential builders and titans of the 20th century?

QUIZ:
Name the Microsoft product that would become the leading operating system for personal computers in the 1980s.

BORN Dec. 12, 1915, in Hoboken, N.J.

1935 Wins radio talent show

1940 Joins Tommy Dorsey band

1944 Solo concerts at New York's Paramount cause bobby-soxers to riot

1954 Wins Oscar for From Here to Eternity

1960 Makes first Rat Pack movie, Ocean's Eleven

1985 Gets Presidential Medal of Freedom

1998 Dies May 14 in Los Angeles


TIME ARCHIVES:
April 16, 1984

WEB RESOURCES:
Microsoft Corporation
Updates on Microsoft's ongoing antitrust struggle with the Justice Department, plus an overview of all the services and software that make this software giant tick.

Microsoft's Bill Gates Page
Includes a biography, speeches, other interests and Gates' outlook for the road ahead.


Audio provided courtesy of Microsoft Corporation.
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