The Truth About Francine Valli’s Death: Her Parents, Career, & More
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Francine Valli is no longer in this world, but her memories live on and she feels just as young. As the daughter of the famous American singer Frankie Valli, she lives on in the memories of music lovers and her father’s fans.

While her father, the lead singer of The Four Seasons, was breaking records at the end of the 20th century, Francine was just starting out when tragedy struck the family. The death of Francine, the youngest sibling among Frankie’s six children, still haunts the family.

But how did Francine Valli die? What was her relationship with her parents? Here is the detailed story of Frankie Valli’s youngest daughter.

Frankie Valli’s Daughter Francine Valli Died At 20

Francine Valli was the daughter of the American actor Frankie Valli and his wife Maria Mandela. She was born in 1960 as Francine Castelluccio.

Although she was a lucky child to be born into such an elite family, her life was not a long one. She died at the age of 20 on 16 August 1980 in Newark, New Jersey.

At the time of her death, she was only a university student.

How Did Francine Valli Die?

There are several rumors about the cause of Valli’s death. Although there was speculation that she committed suicide, this is not true.

Francine reportedly died of a drug overdose. Sources conclude that her death was due to complications caused by a mixture of quaaludes and alcohol; quaaludes are a kind of sedative and hypnotic drug.

Before her death, Frankie, who knew of his daughter’s addiction, even had her checked into a rehabilitation center. But unfortunately, fate had other plans.

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Francine Valli was Pretty Close to Her Parents & Siblings

As we mentioned earlier, Francine was the daughter of the American singer Frankie and Maria Mandela. Like any daughter, she had a pretty good relationship with her parents.

Her parents were married for about 14 years. Although they had a great start, the relationship between her parents soon deteriorated. They got married in 1957, but unfortunately divorced in 1971.

She has a total of five brothers and sisters. Francesco Valli, Antonia Valli, Celia Valli, Brando Valli, and Emilio Valli. As the youngest of all the siblings, Francesca had quite good relations with all of them.

Tragedy Before Her Death

Just six months before Francesca’s death, her elder sister, Celia Sabina Selleck, born of her mother’s previous marriage, died in a tragic accident.

As reported, Celia died after falling from a fire escape. If reports are to be believed, Celia fell while trying to escape through the fire escape of her New York apartment.

Not only that, but the family suffered another tragedy in the same year when Francine Valli’s paternal grandfather died of a stroke.

Her Father Is Married Thrice

Francesca’s father, Frankie, was not only married to her mother, Maria but also had two other marriages. After divorcing his first wife, he remarried Mary Ann Hannigan.

They married in 1974. However, once again their relationship did not work out as expected. Just eight years after their marriage, they divorced in 1982.

Frankie married Randy Clohessy for the third time two years after his divorce from MaryAnn. They tied the knot in 1984, but sadly divorced in 2004.

Francine Valli Aspired To Become a Singer

As the daughter of a singer, Francesca was very much inclined towards music. In fact, she had a great voice and several audio recordings of her are available on the internet.

She has sung songs such as Midnight At The Oasis, Street Life, I Try, and many others.

Her Death Was Portrayed in Jersey Boys

A small part of Francine’s life was recreated in the 2014 musical drama Jersey Boys. Based on the real life of Frankie and his band members, the film also depicted the death of his daughter, Francine, at the age of 20.

The character of Francine was played by Australian actress Freya Tingley. The film was a huge success at the box office and won as many as six Tony Awards.

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Francine Valli’s Father Still Performs on Stage

Francine’s father, the singer Frankie, is still very active in music. He is the leader of The Four Seasons and has given the band many hits.

Some of his successes include ‘Sherry’ (1962), ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry (1962), ‘Walk Like a Man (1963), ‘Rag Doll’ (1964), and ‘December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)’.

The most interesting thing is that he is 86 years old and still performing. Only a year ago, in February 2019, he announced his concert on Twitter.

In addition to singing, Frankie is also an actor and has done some acting. He was in episode 5 of season 2 of the TV series Miami Vice, where he played the mafia boss Frank Doss.

He also played an important role in the TV movie Witness to the Mob. In addition, he appeared in seasons 5 and 6 of the HBO series The Sopranos, playing mobster Rusty Millio.

Quick Facts About Francine Valli

Full nameFrancine Valli
NicknameFrancine
Birthday1960
Death dateAugust 16, 1980
Age61 years (if she was alive)
Died at age20
EthnicityItalian
NationalityAmerican
Father’s nameFrankie Valli
Mother’s nameMary Delgado Vallie
Eye colorBlack
Hair colorBrown
Marital statusSingle
GenderFemale
ZodiacN/A
Sexual orientationStraight
ProfessionSinger