Editing Frankie Valli

{{short description|American singer (born 1934)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image             = Frankie Valli 2012-10-27 2 (cropped).jpg
| landscape         = 
| alt               = Valli singing into a microphone onstage
| caption           = Valli performing in 2012
| background        = solo_singer
| birth_name        = Francesco Stephen Castelluccio
| alias             =
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1934|5|3}}
| birth_place       = [[Newark, New Jersey]], U.S.
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Rock music|Rock]]|[[Pop music|pop]]|[[disco]]|[[blue-eyed soul]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stereogum.com/2068180/the-number-ones-frankie-vallis-grease/columns/the-number-ones/amp/|work=[[StereoGum]]|title=The Number Ones: Frankie Valli's "Grease"|date=2019|first=Tom|last=Breihan}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Blues & Soul|date=1985|publisher=Napfield Limited}}</ref>}}
| occupation        = Singer
| years_active      = 1951{{ndash}}present
| current_member_of = [[The Four Seasons (band)|The Four Seasons]]
| past_member_of    = [[The Four Lovers]]
| associated_acts   = {{hlist|[[The Four Lovers]]|[[The Four Seasons (band)|The Four Seasons]]|[[The Wonder Who?]]}}<!--Please do not add to this list without first discussing your proposal on the talk page. -->
| spouse            = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Mary Mandel|1957|1971|reason=divorce}}
* {{marriage|MaryAnn Hannigan|1974|1982|reason=divorce}}
* {{marriage|Randy Clohessy|1984|2004|reason=divorce}}
* {{marriage|Jackie Jacobs|2023}}
}}
| website           = {{Official website}}
}}

'''Francesco Stephen Castelluccio''' (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name '''Frankie Valli''', is an American singer and occasional actor, best known as the frontman (lead singer) of [[The Four Seasons (band)|the Four Seasons]]. He is known for his unusually powerful lead [[falsetto]] voice.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/article152171782.html| title = Head Jersey Boy Frankie Valli is 83 and somehow still sings like a teen| newspaper=[[Miami Herald]] |date=23 May 2017|access-date=11 May 2018| first=Howard| last=Cohen}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jun/27/frankie-valli-four-seasons-review| title = Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – review| newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=27 June 2012|access-date=11 May 2018| first=Caroline| last=Sullivan}}</ref>

Valli scored 29 [[top 40]] hits with the Four Seasons, one top 40 hit under the Four Seasons alias [[the Wonder Who?]], and nine top 40 hits as a solo artist. As a member of the Four Seasons, Valli's number-one hits include "[[Sherry (song)|Sherry]]" (1962), "[[Big Girls Don't Cry (The Four Seasons song)|Big Girls Don't Cry]]" (1962), "[[Walk Like a Man (The Four Seasons song)|Walk Like a Man]]" (1963), "[[Rag Doll (The Four Seasons song)|Rag Doll]]" (1964) and "[[December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)]]" (1975). Valli's recording of the song "[[Can't Take My Eyes Off You]]" reached number two in 1967. As a solo artist, Valli scored number-one hits with the songs "[[My Eyes Adored You]]" (1974) and "[[Grease (song)|Grease]]" (1978).

Valli, [[Tommy DeVito (musician)|Tommy DeVito]], [[Nick Massi]] and [[Bob Gaudio]]—the original members of the Four Seasons—were inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1990<ref>[http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/the-four-seasons/ Rock and Roll Hall of Fame entry] for "The Four Seasons".</ref> and the [[Vocal Group Hall of Fame]] in 1999.<ref name="vghof">[http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_four_seasons.html Vocal Group Hall of Fame entry] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024151227/http://www.vocalgroup.org/inductees/the_four_seasons.html |date=October 24, 2007 }} for "The Four Seasons".</ref> Valli is also a 2010 inductee of the [[New Jersey Hall of Fame]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://njhalloffame.org/2010-inductees/ |title=New Jersey Hall of Fame - 2010 Inductees |publisher=New Jersey Hall of Fame |access-date=2018-08-07}}</ref> with the Four Seasons (Gaudio, Massi, DeVito and [[Joe Long]]) inducted separately in 2017 and Valli speaking on Massi's behalf.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://njhalloffame.org/2017-inductees/ |title=New Jersey Hall of Fame - 2017 Inductees |publisher=New Jersey Hall of Fame |access-date=2018-08-07}}</ref> Valli was awarded a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] in May 2024, a joint star for both himself and the Four Seasons, with Valli appearing in person to accept the honor with his wife and two of his sons, and Gaudio sending a prerecorded acceptance speech.<ref>{{Cite web |title=FRANKIE VALLI & THE FOUR SEASONS TO BE HONORED WITH STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME |url=https://walkoffame.com/press_releases/frankie-valli-the-four-seasons-to-be-honored-with-star-on-the-hollywood-walk-of-fame/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=Hollywood Walk of Fame |language=en-US}}</ref>  In February 2025, Valli was awarded a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]], this being his first and only Grammy.

== Early life ==
Valli was born Francesco Stephen Castelluccio,<ref name="NPR">{{cite news |title = Frankie Valli on Hair Products and Finding His Falsetto |url = https://www.npr.org/2012/09/29/161979742/frankie-valli-on-hair-products-and-finding-his-falsetto |work = National Public Radio Weekend Edition Saturday |publisher = [[NPR]] |date = September 29, 2012 |access-date = September 30, 2012 }}</ref> on May 3, 1934,<ref>New Jersey, Naturalization Records, 1878-1945 for Donata Maria Castelluccio</ref> to an [[Italian Americans|Italian]] family in the [[Seventh Avenue, Newark, New Jersey|First Ward]] of [[Newark, New Jersey]]; he is the eldest of three sons.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/09/celebrity_childhood_homes_new_jersey.html|title=See the childhood homes of Springsteen, Whitney Houston & other N.J. celebs|website=NJ.com|date=September 19, 2017|access-date=October 26, 2017}}</ref> His father, Antonio (Anthony) Castelluccio, who had immigrated to the U.S. from [[Faiano]], [[Salerno]], [[Campania]], was a barber and display designer for [[Lionel Corporation|Lionel]] model trains; his mother, Mary Rinaldi, who was from [[Avellino]], Campania, was a homemaker and beer company employee.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://franoi.com/profiles/frankie-valli-still-walking-the-walking/ | title=Pop icon Frankie Valli }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = Frankie Valli's town Newark honors pop singer as favorite son |work = [[The Record (Bergen County)|The Record]] |date = October 29, 1987 }}</ref><ref name="amgbio">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p5738/biography|pure_url=yes}}|title=Frankie Valli biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|first=William|last=Ruhlmann|access-date=January 26, 2010}}</ref><ref name="people">{{cite journal |url = http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20204001,00.html |title = Frankie Valli Oh, What a Life! |journal = [[People (magazine)|People]] |date = May 26, 2008 |first = Anne Marie |last = Cruz |volume = 69 |issue = 20 |access-date = December 14, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.nj.com/newark/index.ssf/2008/11/bobbi_valli_makes_his_own_voic.html |title = Bobbi Valli makes his own voice heard |work = [[NJ.com]] |first = Chanta L |last = Jackson |date = November 12, 2008 |access-date = March 24, 2016 }}</ref><!-- Note, see talk: Valli confirmed that his mother's name was "Mary" not "Maria" --> He was inspired to take up a singing career at age seven after his mother took him to see [[Frank Sinatra]] at the [[Paramount Theatre (New York City)|Paramount Theater]] in [[Manhattan, New York City|New York City]].<ref name="officialbio">{{cite web |url = http://www.frankievallifourseasons.com/bio.html |title = Biography |publisher = Official Frankie Valli Site |access-date = January 26, 2010 }}</ref> One of his early favorite singers was [["Texas" Jean Valli]], from whom he took his stage name.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/06/jersey_boys_frankie_valli_name_syracuse_singer_jean_valli.html |title = Long before 'Jersey Boys,' Frankie Valli stole his name from a Syracuse hillbilly singer |first = George |last = Herbert |work = Syracuse.com |date = June 20, 2014 |access-date = October 14, 2016 }}</ref> He worked as a barber until he could support himself with music.<ref name="officialbio" />

Valli's birth year has been called into question. He never addressed the issue himself until a 2007 posting at the Official Frankie Valli Site, sponsored by his record label [[Universal Music Group|Universal Records]].<ref name="officialbio" /> Much of his previous official publicity used 1937 as his birth year. Other sources gave his year of birth as 1934, such as the Bear Family Records release ''The Four Lovers'' (BCD 15424) and a 1965 mug shot, available through [[The Smoking Gun]].<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/celebrity/music/frankie-valli |title = Frankie Valli mug shot |website = [[The Smoking Gun]] |access-date = October 6, 2013 }}</ref>

== Music career ==
{{See also|The Four Seasons (group)#History|l1=The Four Seasons § History}}

Valli began his singing career in 1951 with the Variety Trio (Nickie DeVito, [[Tommy DeVito (musician)|Tommy DeVito]], and Henry "Hank" Majewski), and was mentored in much of his early career by [[Nick Massi|Nick Macioci]], who later joined Valli in The Four Seasons, and by [[Jean Valli|"Texas" Jean Valli]], a female hillbilly singer, from whom he adopted the "Valli" surname.<ref>{{cite news| url = https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2008-11-17-voa53/401450.html| title = Four Seasons Singer Frankie Valli Going Strong at 74| newspaper=[[Miami Herald]] |date=November 1, 2009|access-date=September 1, 2024| last=Voice of America English News}}</ref> Geoff Herbert explains, "Frankie said in 2010 that Jean took him to meet music publishers Paul and Dave Kapp, telling them he was her brother. As a result, his first single was listed under 'Frankie Valley', and the name stuck—though he eventually changed it to the same spelling" that Texas Jean used.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.syracuse.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/06/jersey_boys_frankie_valli_name_syracuse_singer_jean_valli.html |title=Long before 'Jersey Boys,' Frankie Valli stole his name from a Syracuse hillbilly singer |last=Herbert |first=Geoff |date=June 20, 2014 |website=Syracuse.com |publisher=Syracuse Media Group. |access-date=January 2, 2016}}</ref> His desire to sing in public was initially granted when the group offered him a guest spot when they performed. In late 1952, the Variety Trio disbanded and Valli and Tommy DeVito became part of the house band at The Strand in [[New Brunswick, New Jersey]]. Valli played bass and sang.

Valli recorded his first single, "My Mother's Eyes", in 1953, a cover of the 1929 [[George Jessel (actor)|George Jessel]] song from ''[[Lucky Boy (1929 film)|Lucky Boy]]'', with his stage name "Frankie Valley." Around this time, Valli, Majewski and Tommy DeVito left the house band at The Strand and formed The Variatones with Frank Cottone and Billy Thompson. In 1956, the group impressed New York recording agent Peter Paul, and he got them an audition at [[RCA Records|RCA Victor]] a week later.

The group changed its name to [[the Four Lovers]] and recorded several singles and an album's worth of tracks. They had a minor hit with "[[You're the Apple of My Eye]]" in 1956, which earned them their first appearance on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]''. After two years of no further success, DeVito fired his brother and Majewski for insubordination (they had refused to take a gig opening for [[Tony Bennett]])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2008/apr/02/vegas-man-knows-jersey-boys/|title=Vegas man knows 'Jersey Boys'|first=Jerry|last=Fink|date=April 2, 2008|website=Lasvegassun.com|access-date=September 23, 2020}}</ref> and creative differences, as Majewski's comic persona did not mesh with the group's musical talents.<ref name=bimbamboom>Walter Gollender. ''Bim Bam Boom No. 8'' (December 1972).</ref> The Four Lovers continued, with Valli, DeVito and an ''ad hoc'' lineup that variously included Macioci (by then also pursuing a solo career as "Nickie Massey"<ref>"Record Reviews." [https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/50s/1959/CB-1959-10-24.pdf ''Cashbox''. October 24, 1959]. p. 12</ref>), [[Charles Calello]] and Hollywood Playboys keyboardist Hugh Garrity.<ref name=bimbamboom/> In 1959, after being introduced at a gig in Baltimore by mutual friend [[Joe Pesci]], [[The Royal Teens|Royal Teen]] [[Bob Gaudio]] became a member. By 1960, after several years of [[session musicians|session work]] under numerous stage names, the lineup of Valli, DeVito, Gaudio and a now-renamed Nick Massi took on the name "The 4 Seasons," taking the name from a bowling alley in [[Union Township, Union County, New Jersey|Union, New Jersey]] that had rejected them after an audition.<ref name="bimbamboom" /><ref>Engel, Ed (August 1977). "Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons". Time Barrier No. 23.</ref><ref>Woodard, Rex (June 1982). "Four Lovers". Goldmine No. 73.</ref><ref>Grendysa, Peter (1989). The Four Lovers, liner notes, "The Four Lovers", Bear Family Records BCD-15424.</ref><ref>Harrington, Richard (June 1983). "Frankie Bayyy-aaa-beee!: Doing a Solo, Hanging on to What He's Got Frankie Valli's High Notes". ''[[The Washington Post]]''.</ref> 

As the lead singer of the Four Seasons, Valli had a string of hits, beginning with the number-one hit "[[Sherry (song)|Sherry]]" in 1962 and continuing through most of the rest of the decade.

[[File:The 4 Seasons (1966).png|thumb|right|Valli (front, center) with the Four Seasons in 1966.]]

During the 1960s, Gaudio and his songwriting partner [[Bob Crewe]] worked with Valli to craft solo recordings, with varying degrees of success. It was rare at the time for a major recording artist to perform solo while still recording with their own group. Valli's debut solo album was a collection of single releases and a few new recordings. He used the opportunity to transition away from the power falsetto that had made Valli and the Four Seasons famous, singing in a natural tenor voice.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=June 6, 2024 |title=Frankie Valli on Jersey Boys and His Unlikely Success: 'The Way I Grew Up, It Was Basically Against All Odds' |url=https://parade.com/300325/chriswillman/frankie-valli-on-jersey-boys-and-his-unlikely-success/ |access-date=May 31, 2023 |website=[[Parade (magazine)|Parade]] |language=en}}</ref> (Calello noted in 2000 that Valli's voice could go down to a baritone and that Valli would take on the baritone parts in harmony arrangements when he did not sing lead.<ref name=overshadow>{{Cite web |last=Pinchot |first=Joe |date=December 28, 2000 |title=Valli's unusual falsetto didn't overshadow Four Seasons' sound |url=http://www2.sharonherald.com/localnews/recentnews/0012/ln122800k.html |access-date=2024-06-03 |website=The Sharon Herald}}</ref>)

"You're Ready Now", a Valli solo recording from 1966, became part of the [[Northern soul]] scene and reached number eleven on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in December 1970. "The Night" originally released in 1970 also became a huge Northern soul hit and as a result it reached number seven on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in 1975.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/14203/frankie-valli/|title = UK Charts – Frankie Valli |website=Officialcharts.com |access-date = January 9, 2022 }}</ref>

In 1975, his single "[[My Eyes Adored You]]" hit number one on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' Hot 100 and reached number 5 in the UK chart. This caused an awkward situation within the band, as Valli's label at the time, [[Private Stock Records]], was willing to sign Valli but not the band. [[Warner Bros. Records]] was willing to sign the band, but greatly preferred if someone other than Valli sang lead vocals.  As part of that agreement, Valli—with great reluctance—ceded some of the lead vocals for the group to new band members [[Gerry Polci]] and, to a lesser extent, [[Don Ciccone]].<ref name=james-and-ciccone>{{cite web|title=Gary James' Interview With Don Ciccone Of The Four Seasons|url= http://www.classicbands.com/FourSeasonsInterview.html|access-date= July 24, 2020|publisher= classicbands.com|first=Gary|last=James}}</ref> In the same year, he also had a number six ''Billboard'' hit with the disco-laden "[[Swearin' to God]]" reaching number 31 in the UK chart, while further UK chart success came with "[[Fallen Angel (Rogue song)|Fallen Angel]]", written by [[Guy Fletcher (songwriter)|Guy Fletcher]] and [[Doug Flett]]. Valli was in the UK charts, reaching number 11. Meanwhile, the Four Seasons had a string of hits from their new LP ''[[Who Loves You]]'' in 1975; the title track with Valli, "[[December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)]]" with Valli, Polci and Ciccone, and minor hits "[[Silver Star (The Four Seasons song)|Silver Star]]" and "Down the Hall" (the latter from the follow-up album ''Helicon'') with Polci alone. In 1976, Valli covered [[the Beatles]] song "[[A Day in the Life]]" for the ephemeral musical documentary ''[[All This and World War II]]'', to which the Seasons also contributed a cover of "[[We Can Work It Out]]."

In 1978, with the Four Seasons temporarily broken up, Valli embarked on a solo tour<ref name=james-and-ciccone/> and sang the [[Grease (song)|theme song]] for the film version of the stage play [[Grease (film)|''Grease'']], a song by [[Barry Gibb]] of the [[Bee Gees]], which became a number one hit. He had two further chart successes over the next year: "Save Me, Save Me" in November 1978, which entered the [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|''Billboard'' Easy Listening chart]], and "Fancy Dancer" in January 1979, which entered the pop charts.<ref name="amgbio"/>

Valli began suffering from [[otosclerosis]] in 1967, forcing him to "sing from memory" in the latter part of the 1970s. Surgery performed by  Victor Goodhill, a Los Angeles ear specialist, restored most of his hearing by 1980.<ref>Bronson, Fred (1992). ''The Billboard Book of Number One Hits'' (3rd edition). Billboard Books. {{ISBN|0-8230-8298-9}}.</ref><ref name="Robins">{{cite magazine |url = http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/5680100/frankie-valli-qa-looking-back-at-50-years-of-the-four-seasons |title = Frankie Valli Q&A: Looking Back at 50 Years of The Four Seasons |magazine = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |date = September 3, 2013 |first = Wayne |last = Robins |access-date =October 12, 2019}}</ref>

[[File:Frankie Valli 2013.jpg|thumb|Valli performing at the [[Saban Theatre]] in 2013]]

In 2005, the musical ''[[Jersey Boys]]'' opened on Broadway. Besides performances of many of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons hit recordings, it has a biographical narrative, told from four separate points of view by each member of the Four Seasons (DeVito, Valli, Massi and Gaudio). [[John Lloyd Young]] portrayed Valli in the original  production, while [[West End theatre|West End]]'s production [[Ryan Molloy]] is the "longest-serving Frankie Valli".<ref>{{cite web | first=Theo | last=Bosanquet | title=Ryan Molloy announces Jersey Boys departure after six years in role | url=http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/02-2014/ryan-molloy-announces-jersey-boys-departure-after-_33481.html | publisher=[[WhatsOnStage.com]] | date=2014-02-11 | accessdate=2014-02-12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Ryan Molloy: 'I fear leaving Jersey Boys' |url=https://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/10-2013/ryan-molloy-i-fear-leaving-jersey-boys_32443.html/ |date=27 October 2013 |publisher=[[WhatsOnStage.com]] |accessdate=26 October 2023}}</ref> The musical dramatizes several real-life incidents from Valli's life, including his estrangement from daughter Francine, who died in 1980. The show has been widely acclaimed, financially successful, and was nominated for eight [[Tony Awards]], winning four, notably Best Musical, Actor, and Supporting Actor. It has touring companies around the world, as well as a version at [[Paris Las Vegas]], and was adapted into a 2014 [[Jersey Boys (film)|film of the same name]] directed by [[Clint Eastwood]], with Young again appearing as Valli; Valli was less enthusiastic about the film, believing that some parts were miscast and that Eastwood was a poor fit for the material.<ref name=anthemisback>{{cite news| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/frankie-valli-anthem-concert/2021/07/28/44e151ba-ee06-11eb-a452-4da5fe48582d_story.html| title = The Anthem is back ? and so is Frankie Valli, in concert with the Four Seasons| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]|author-last1=Edgers|author-first1=Geoff}}</ref>

In October 2007, Valli released ''Romancing the '60s'', an album containing covers of his favorite songs from the 1960s, two of which—"Sunny" and "Any Day Now"—he had previously recorded.<ref name="officialbio" /> It was Valli's first solo album in nearly 27 years since 1980's ''Heaven Above Me''. In 2012, Valli made his Broadway debut with a week-long concert engagement at the [[The Broadway Theatre|Broadway Theatre]] in [[New York City|New York]] starting October 19.<ref name="NPR" /><ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2013/03/26/frankie-valli-four-seasons-broadway/1645157/ |title = 50 years on, a Jersey Boy arrives on Broadway |work = [[USA Today]] |date = October 19, 2012 |first = Elysa |last = Gardner |access-date = May 17, 2013 }}</ref>

From March 2016 to January 2017, "Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons" were touring the US, scheduled to play small-to-mid-size venues such as the Silver Legacy Casino in Reno, Nevada, the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona and the County Fair in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.frankievallifourseasons.com/shows.html |title =Frankie Valli Shows |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date = 2016 |website = Frankie Valli |access-date = June 21, 2016 }}</ref> In October 2016, Valli released his first solo album in nine years, ''{{'}}Tis the Seasons'', which features some of his favorite [[Christmas]] songs. As part of the ''[[BBC Proms]] in the Park'' Valli, together with the Four Seasons performed with the BBC Concert Orchestra in [[Hyde Park, London|Hyde Park]] on September 10, 2016.<ref>{{cite web |title=BBC Proms in the Park Hyde Park |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e2bxj5 |website=BBC.co.uk |publisher=BBC |access-date=3 June 2022}}</ref>

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons continued touring in 2018 and 2019, with a new lineup after his lineup since 2003 spun off as its own act, The Modern Gentlemen. In 2020 the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] canceled all touring plans. Touring resumed in the summer of 2021 with dates scheduled through October 2024; in October 2023, Valli indicated that it would be his [[farewell tour]] and that The Four Seasons would effectively end its 65-year run with his retirement.<ref name=farewelltour>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-04 |title=Frankie Valli Announces "The Last Encores" 2023-2024 Tour Dates |url=https://consequence.net/2023/10/frankie-valli-four-seasons-last-encores-2023-2024-tour-dates/ |access-date=2023-10-05 |language=en-US}}</ref> Valli did not rule out future performances after the tour ends but noted that the nature of touring, and a move from longer residencies to frequent one-night stops, was wearing on him, while the actual act of performing each night was not.<ref name=lat2023/>  The tour was eventually extended into 2025, with representatives for Valli responding to criticism of him touring at such an advanced age and fears of [[elder abuse]] by assuring that Valli was "doing just fine and super happy to be still performing."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jordan |first=Chris |date=2024-08-14 |title=Frankie Valli, 90, pushes back at critics who say he's too old to perform |url=https://www.aol.com/frankie-valli-90-pushes-back-192535680.html |access-date=2024-08-29 |website=Asbury Park Press via AOL |language=en-US}}</ref> In a statement to ''People'', Valli conceded that he uses "layering (of) vocals and instrumentals" to maintain the group's signature sound in old age, a tactic the group had long used on its records, and stated he would continue touring as long as fans continued to buy tickets and respond well to the show.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Frankie Valli Breaks Silence After Performance Videos Spark Concern: Nobody Is 'Forcing Me to Go on Stage' (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/frankie-valli-speaks-out-after-performance-videos-spark-concern-exclusive-8720930 |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=People.com |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Frankie Valli 2024was.jpg|thumb|Valli performing at the [[Fox Theatre (Detroit)|Fox Theater]] in 2024]]
In June 2021, Valli released his 12th studio album, his first in five years, ''Touch of Jazz'', which features a collection of [[jazz]] cover songs.

== Acting career ==
Valli has appeared as an actor in ''[[Miami Vice]]'' (as Mafia boss Frank Doss), ''[[Full House]]'', the 1998 TV movie ''[[Witness to the Mob]]'' (as [[Frank LoCascio]] of the [[Gambino crime family]]), ''[[The Sopranos]]'' (as mobster [[Rusty Millio]]), and the 2014 film ''[[And So It Goes (film)|And So It Goes]]''.<ref name="imdbfilm">{{cite web |url = https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0885110/?nmdp=1&ref_=nm_ql_5 |title = Frankie Valli filmography |website = [[Internet Movie Database]] |access-date = September 26, 2016 }}</ref>

On the November 21, 2014, episode of ''[[Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series)|Hawaii Five-0]]'' entitled "Ka Hana malu (Inside Job)", Valli played mysterious lawyer Leonard Cassano, who was engaged to [[Carol Burnett]]'s character, Aunt Deb.<ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.etonline.com/tv/154244_hawaii_five0_sneak_peek_legends_carol_burnett_and_frankie_valli_are_getting_married/ |title = 'Hawaii Five-0' Sneak Peek: Legends Carol Burnett and Frankie Valli are Getting Married! |work = [[Entertainment Tonight]] |date = November 21, 2014 |access-date = November 23, 2014 }}</ref>

In 2015, Valli was interviewed on the [[AMC (TV channel)|AMC]] television series ''[[The Making of the Mob: New York]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/06/22/ray-liotta-narrates-amcs-the-making-of-the-mob-new-york/28521017/ |title = 'Making of the Mob' brings out the big guns |work = [[USA Today]] |first = Bill |last = Keveney |date = June 22, 2015 |access-date = September 26, 2016 }}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Valli has been married four times. In his early twenties he married his first wife, Mary, who already had a two-year-old daughter named Celia. They had two daughters together, Antonia and Francine, and divorced after 13 years in 1971. He married MaryAnn Hannagan in 1974, and the marriage lasted eight years. Frankie married Randy Clohessy in 1984; they had three sons (Emilio, Francesco Jr. and Brando) and divorced in 2004. In 1980, his stepdaughter, Celia, was killed when she fell off a fire escape. Six months later, Francine, his youngest daughter from his marriage to Mary, died reportedly from a drug overdose.<ref name="Robins" /><ref name="people" /><ref>{{cite news |url = http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/06/20/jersey_boys_accuracy_fact_checking_clint_eastwood_s_four_seasons_biopic.html |title = Jersey Boys accuracy: Fact-checking Clint Eastwood's Four Seasons biopic |work = BrowBeat |publisher = [[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date = June 20, 2014 |first = Dee |last = Lockett |access-date = December 20, 2014 }}</ref> Antonia later briefly married Four Seasons drummer/vocalist [[Gerry Polci]], and their daughter Olivia Polci, who also adopted the stage surname Valli, is a professional stage actress.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gioia |first=Michael |date=June 17, 2022 |title=Frankie Valli and Musical Star Granddaughter Olivia on Their Shared Love of Performing — and Pasta |url=https://people.com/theater/frankie-valli-and-granddaughter-olivia-on-their-shared-love-of-performing-and-pasta/ |access-date=2023-06-28 |website=[[People (magazine)|People]] |language=en}}</ref> She portrayed her grandmother Mary in a ''Jersey Boys'' production in 2019.<ref name="prock">{{Cite web |last=Mirrione |first=Joe |date=8 December 2014 |title=Frankie Valli's Granddaughter to Make Debut This Thursday at Bergen PAC |url=https://poprockdoowopp.com/news/frankie-valli-granddaughter-to-make-debut/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191128080451/https://poprockdoowopp.com/news/frankie-valli-granddaughter-to-make-debut/ |archive-date=28 November 2019 |access-date=6 July 2020 |website=Pop, Rock & Doo Wopp Live |language=en}}</ref> Frankie married Jackie Jacobs on June 26, 2023, in Las Vegas.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://people.com/frankie-valli-marries-jackie-jacobs-in-las-vegas-exclusive-7502856 |title=Frankie Valli Is Married! Four Seasons Frontman Weds Jackie Jacobs in Las Vegas (Exclusive) |last=Irvin |first=Jack |date=26 June 2023 |website=People |publisher=Dotdash Meredith |access-date=27 June 2023}}</ref> Valli and Jacobs reside in [[Encino, California]].<ref name=lat2023>{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |date=2023-10-25 |title=At 89, Frankie Valli is ready for one last encore |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-10-25/frankie-valli-four-seasons-beggin |access-date=2023-10-26 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> Valli has a restraining order against his son, Francesco Jr., an actor, due to an opiate addiction and threats of violence against his father and brothers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Holmes |first=Martin |date=2024-05-08 |title=Frankie Valli Gets 3 Year Restraining Order Against Son Francesco Over Alleged 'Threats to Kill' |url=https://tylerpaper.com/lifestyle/arts_and_entertainment/frankie-valli-gets-3-year-restraining-order-against-son-francesco-over-alleged-threats-to-kill/article_898eb692-475f-5ba7-8b20-3fe9bc52f1a6.html?FF_articleid=api/v1/contents/9414/content?FFESID=9414&page=featuredetails&FF_uid=food-99999-108875-9414#ff_article-full-content-0 |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=TylerPaper.com |language=en}}</ref>

One issue in Valli's third divorce went up on appeal to the [[Supreme Court of California]]: whether a [[life insurance]] policy purchased in 2003 was [[community property]]. On May 15, 2014, the Court unanimously affirmed the trial court's ruling that the policy was community property (and not Randy's separate property), in an opinion signed by Associate Justice [[Joyce Kennard]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Egelko |first1=Bob |title=Frankie Valli wins divorce case in California Supreme Court |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Frankie-Valli-wins-divorce-case-in-California-5482177.php |access-date=January 28, 2019 |newspaper=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=May 16, 2014 |location=San Francisco}}</ref><ref>''[https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=10108674076779658767 In re Marriage of Valli]'', 58 Cal.4th 1396, 171 Cal.Rptr.3d 454, 324 P.3d 274 (2014).</ref>

== Discography ==
===Studio albums===
{{hatnote|For albums recorded as part of the Four Seasons, see [[The Four Seasons discography#The Four Seasons|The Four Seasons albums discography]]}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Date of release
!Title
![[Billboard 200|''Billboard'']] peak<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.allmusic.com/artist/frankie-valli-p5738/charts-awards |title = Frankie Valli : Awards |website = [[AllMusic]] |access-date = April 29, 2012 }}</ref>
!Label
!Catalog number
|-
|June 1967
|''The 4 Seasons Present Frankie Valli Solo''
| style="text-align:center;"|34
|rowspan="2"|[[Philips Records|Philips]]
|200-247 (Mono) / 600-247 (Stereo)
|-
|July 1968
|''Timeless''
| style="text-align:center;"|176
|600-274
|-
|February 1975
|''[[Closeup (Frankie Valli album)|Closeup]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|51
|[[Private Stock Records|Private Stock]]
|PS 2000
|-
|September 1975
|''Inside You''<br /><small>(five new tracks plus four previously released tracks, remixed; "The Night" with the Four Seasons)</small>
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|[[Motown Records|Motown]]
|M6-852S1
|-
|November 1975
|''Our Day Will Come''
| style="text-align:center;"|107
|rowspan="3"|[[Private Stock Records|Private Stock]]
|PS 2006
|-
|September 1976
|''[[Valli (album)|Valli]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|PS 2017
|-
|November 1977
|''[[Lady Put the Light Out]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|PS 7002
|-
|August 1978
|''[[Frankie Valli... Is the Word]]''
| style="text-align:center;"|160
|[[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros/Curb]]
|BS 3233
|-
|November 1980
|''Heaven Above Me''
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|[[Curb Records|MCA/Curb]]
|5134
|-
|October 2007
|''Romancing the '60s''
| style="text-align:center;"|167
|[[Motown Records|Cherry Entertainment/Universal Motown]]
|B0009908-02
|-
|October 2016
|'''Tis the Seasons''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Tis-Seasons-Frankie-Valli/dp/B01J96G9OQ/ref=sr_1_2?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1473009492&sr=1-2&keywords=frankie%20valli|title=Frankie Valli – Tis The Seasons |website=Amazon.com|year=2016 }}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|[[Rhino Records|Rhino]]
|R2556984
|-
|June 2021
|''A Touch of Jazz''
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|Green Hill Music
|B0942DW3VX
|}

===Singles===
{{hatnote|For singles recorded as part of the Four Seasons, see [[The Four Seasons discography#1960s|The Four Seasons singles discography]]}}

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Frankie Valli}}
{{Portal|Biography|Music}}
* {{Official website}}
* {{IMDb name|0885110}}
* {{Discogs artist|Frankie Valli}}
* {{IBDB name}}
* {{Pop Chronicles|20|3}}

{{The Four Seasons|state=collapsed}}
{{Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{1990 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valli, Frankie}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:20th-century American singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American singers]]
[[Category:20th-century American male singers]]
[[Category:21st-century American male singers]]
[[Category:American male pop singers]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American rock singers]]
[[Category:Jersey Shore musicians]]
[[Category:Male actors from Newark, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Singers from Newark, New Jersey]]
[[Category:The Four Seasons (band) members]]
[[Category:Warner Records artists]]
[[Category:Motown artists]]
[[Category:Private Stock Records artists]]
[[Category:Universal Motown Records artists]]