This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic. Read about others here.
Tommy DeVito, an original member of the Four Seasons, the close-harmony quartet that rocketed to fame in the early 1960s with “Sherry” and other hits and earned new generations of fans when the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys” told a semi-factual version of the group’s story, died on Monday in Henderson, Nev. He was 92.
Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio, the two surviving original members of the group, announced his death. A spokeswoman for Mr. Valli said the cause was the novel coronavirus. Mr. DeVito had moved to Las Vegas decades ago after leaving the Four Seasons in 1970.
Growing up in difficult circ*mstances in his native New Jersey, Mr. DeVito was, in his own words, “a hell-raiser” as a youth, but he found a purpose with music. He formed a band called the Variety Trio with one of his brothers and Nick Massi, who would become the fourth member of the Four Seasons when that group coalesced in about 1960. (Mr. Massi died in 2000 at 73.)
The key component, though, was Mr. Valli, with his falsetto vocals. In a 2008 interview with the music publication Goldmine, Mr. DeVito recalled that his trio performed regularly at a bar in Belleville, N.J., when Mr. Valli, a teenager six years younger than him, would sneak in to watch them play. He and the other band members knew Mr. Valli from the neighborhood and knew that he had pipes.
“I’d call him up to the stage and let him sing,” Mr. DeVito said. “He’d get off right away, because he wasn’t really supposed to be in there; he was underage.”
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Francesco Stephen Castelluccio (born May 3, 1934), better known by his stage name Frankie Valli, is an American singer, best known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice.
in a hit-making harmony group that gained a new audience when “Jersey Boys” stormed Broadway. He died of the coronavirus. This obituary is part of a series about people who have died in the coronavirus pandemic.
Where are The Four Seasons original members now? Frankie Valli celebrated his 87th birthday in 2021, and is still performing with the band. Bob Gaudio turned 79 in 2021, and is generally retired, but still appears at various Four Seasons-related events. Tommy DeVito died in 2020 at the age of 92.
The reason for his departure was originally indicated as a hearing problem, but it was later revealed that he had accrued significant debt and financial trouble through gambling. DeVito was succeeded by Maryland native Demetri Callas, who would become a friend of DeVito's.
A Jersey-born kid of a working class Italian-American family, he's partly responsible for the success of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons–Pesci actually introduced a few of the guys to singer and songwriter Bob Gaudio, who would go on to write many of the group's biggest hits.
NY Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito made a free appearance at Coniglio's Old Fashioned Pizzeria. Owner Nino Coniglio had canceled DeVito's appearance, claiming his agent had doubled DeVito's rate. He said Sean Stellato agreed to a $10,000 fee but changed it to $20,000 after the Giants beat the Packers.
And, as it turns out, today marks the 50th anniversary of the day in 1965 that three of The Four Seasons of “Jersey Boys” fame were arrested beside the stage of the Ohio State Fair in Columbus, hauled to Springfield, then bailed out of jail, never to return again.
DeVito hired Maxx Lepselter and Maxx MGMT to handle his marketing several weeks back. He did not fire agent Sean Stellato, who became an internet sensation several weeks back with his outfit for "Monday Night Football." "Not the case.
He had a longstanding desire to front his own group, a factor in his departure from the Four Seasons and a desire that, other than occasional singles on small independent labels, never materialized.
In a short Facebook post, he shared the inspiration behind his dimwitted character and revealed that he and Pesci were friends even before making the classic flick. “Harry and Marv were always intended to be a classic comic duo,” he wrote.
At the time of his death, Liotta was worth an estimated $14 million. He worked steadily from his early 20s, when he decided to pursue a career in the arts until his death.
First, a friend named Joe Pesci (yes, the same Joe Pesci who would go on, improbably, to become an Oscar-winning actor) introduced the Lovers to Bob Gaudio, a piano-playing, song-writing prodigy and former member of the Royal Teens.
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.
At 75, Gaudio is still close friends with Valli and remains quite involved in casting the show. “Frankie always says that I know more about him than he does, so whenever we're casting that role, I spend a few days with them in the studio.
Frankie Valli had a pretty serious health scare back in October and November of 2021. He suffered pneumonia and was forced to cancel most of his tour and there was some concern that Frankie would never tour again.
Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons is currently touring across 4 countries and has 35 upcoming concerts. Their next tour date is at Keybank State Theatre, Playhouse Square Center in Cleveland, after that they'll be at F.M. Kirby Center in Wilkes-barre. See all your opportunities to see them live below!
Just six months after her sister Celia died, Francine died of an accidental drug overdose on Aug. 16, 1980. She was 20 years old. Francine was known to have inherited her father's musical talents — she had recorded songs and was set to embark on a music career of her own.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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