Inside the Quiet Lives and Tragic Losses of Cyd Charisse’s Two Sons

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Tony Martin Jr. entered the world in 1950 during the peak of his parents' commercial dominance. His father was selling millions of records for RCA Victor and headlining top venues in Las Vegas, while his mother was MGM’s undisputed queen of modern dance.

Growing up, Tony Jr. possessed his father's easy charm and his mother's sharp, dark features. He attended private schools in Southern California and socialized within the tight circle of Hollywood's second-generation elite. Instead of pursuing nightclub singing or studio acting, he pivoted toward business and real estate management, handling high-end properties across Los Angeles and maintaining administrative assets tied to the family portfolio.

Tragedy struck the family in the spring of 2011. On April 10, Tony Martin Jr. passed away at his home in Los Angeles at age 60. The cause of death stemmed from chronic medical complications. Coming less than three years after Cyd Charisse’s passing in 2008, the loss dealt a crushing blow to his father. Tony Martin Sr., then 98 years old, had spent six decades protecting his immediate circle. Losing his namesake son proved devastating; the elder Martin died 15 months later, in July 2012.

Tony Jr. was survived by his wife, Sheila Anderson, who had stood by his side during his later health battles. His death highlighted the precarious reality faced by celebrity offspring: even shielded from the cameras, life outside the studio lot carried very real, intensely private grief.