From Failed Marriages to Daughter’s Death, Frankie Valli Faced Misfortunes Consecutively

The music industry can't thank Frankie Valli enough for his solo wonders.

From 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' to 'December 1963 (Oh, What A Night),' Valli and his band, Four Seasons, were the music scene stars in the '60s and '70s.

They managed to rock crowds of all ages wherever they went.

Despite all the remarkable accomplishments, life was never easy for the Rock and Roll star.

Prone to tragedies just as every other human, only a few can guess the unbearable misfortune Valli faced outside his professional sphere. He lost his daughter. 

Frankie Valli's Daughter's Tragic Death

In an interview with Billboards' Wayne Robins back in March 2013, the singer admitted to going through a fair share of "frustrating periods," hinting towards his daughter's deaths. 

Valli lost his step daughter, Celia, in a car accident, whereas his biological daughter Francine died from a drug overdose.

Adding to the grief, the singer lost both his girls in the same year.

Francine was a student and about to start a career in singing with her dad. She was already gearing up to record a few songs.

"It's not something you ever, ever get over. It's just not supposed to be that way," added the former frontman of the Four Seasons on his daughter's untimely death.

 She died a long time ago, but I often imagine what it would be like if she were alive. She had a wonderful voice.

Valli created the famed song 'Jersey Boys' with his band in memory of his late daughter.

Frankie Valli's Failed Marriages 

The 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' singer has been at the altar on three different occasions.

He first exchanged vows with Mary Mandel, who already had a two-year-old daughter. Valli, who was still in his early twenties, became a father of two daughters before the marriage went downhill and the couple separated in 1971.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame laureate then tied the knot with his second spouse MarryAnn Hannagan in 1974, which only lasted eight years.

Frankie Valli with his sons in November 2020. (Photo: Instagram)

Then came his third spouse Randy Clohessy in 1984, with whom the singer raised three sons. The couple, however, parted ways in 2004.

This divorce came with some extra courtroom drama as well. One of the issues from this separation went up on appeal to the Supreme Court of California.

While still married to Randy, Valli bought insurance in his spouse's name after facing heart problems and subsequent hospitalization. He initially designated Randy as the sole owner and beneficiary.

Frankie Valli's Divorce with Third Spouse

During divorce proceedings, Valli argued that he still owned $365,000, which was then half the insurance's value.

On May 15, 2014, the court ultimately ruled that the $3.75 million life insurance policy the couple bought while they were married was community property that must be shared equally in their disunion.

In 2008, in a Q&A session with People, Valli's pal, Stewie Stone, said the divorce with his third spouse was tough for his friend, mostly because of his children.

Stone also pointed out that Randy didn't allow her ex-husband to see their kids as often as he wanted to.

But, the singer's recent Instagram activity suggests that the father-son bond is as deep as ever, and the restrictions have loosened since the divorce.

Frankie Valli Had an Affair with a Minor?

In 2015, April Kirkwood, an Ohio native writer, revealed her decade-long affair with Valli.

Kirkwood recounted the time the singer and his band were everything to her. "He was 23 years older than me,"

Kirkwood said, "That first night was sad. I had never seen a naked man before. I was like, 'Oh, my God. What did I just do?'" 

With Classic Bands, the writer shared the moment she lost her virginity (while still 16) to the Four Seasons' leading man, who was 39 years old.

Her entanglement with Valli features extensively in her 2015 memoir, Big Girls Do Cry: My Love Affair with Frankie Valli.

In the book, Kirkwood claimed that she joined the Four Seasons tour for a few days, during which she became fascinated with Valli.

The narrator was seeing the singer on and off for almost ten years. The memoir also covers how Kirkwood struggled in relationships with other men after things ended indefinitely with the rockstar.

Valli, however, has not spoken anything about Kirkwood's story to this day.