Celia Valli: What happened to Frankie Valli's daughter?

Celia Valli is the stepdaughter of famous American singer Frankie Valli. Frankie Valli is also known for his powerful falsetto singing voice. He was the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. His number-one hits include “Sherry” (1962), “Big Girls Don’t Cry” (1962), “Walk Like a Man” (1963), “Rag Doll” (1964), and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” (1975). Aside from being a celebrated singer, Frankie is also a father of six. He first became a father in 1957 when he married his first wife, Mary Mandel, who had a daughter named Celia from a previous relationship.

Celia Valli: Bio Summary

How old was Celia Valli when she died?

Celia Sabin Valli was born in 1954 to Mary Mandel and her ex-husband in the United States of America, and Frankie became stepfather to Celia after he married Mandel in 1957. Unfortunately, Celia Valli died in February 1980 during an accident at the age of 26. Through her mother’s marriage, Celia had five siblings – Two half-siblings-  Francine Valli and Antonia Valli, and- three step-siblings- Francesco Valli, Emilio Valli, and Brando Valli.

ALSO, READ; Francesco Valli: Inside the Life of Frankie Valli’s Son

How did Celia Valli die?

According to sources, Celia died after falling down a fire escape. per the reports, Celia fell while attempting to exit her New York apartment via the fire escape. A few months after the death of Celia Valli, another tragedy struck the family. Celia’s younger sister Francine Valli also passed away. Francine died of an accidental drug overdose on Aug. 16, 1980. She was 20 years old at the time of her sad passing.

Francine’s death was dramatized in Jersey Boys during a scene where Frankie gets a call about his daughter. “The first time I saw that, it was incredibly difficult, and for many times after that,” Frankie told PEOPLE in an interview. “That lives with you forever. She died a long time ago, but I often imagine what it would be like if she were alive. She had a wonderful voice.”

ALSO, READ; Francine Valli: How did Frankie Valli’s daughter die?

Jersey Boys writer Rick Elice was at the theater the first time Frankie saw the show and told the Chicago Tribune, “What most affected me was watching a man watching the death of his own child on stage. I saw him cry. When the show was over, they were wiped out. It took hours and several drinks before they came down from their emotion.”

Rick Elice told Vegas Seven that he didn’t include Celia Valli’s death in the musical because “if you put that in the show, no one would believe it. It would be too horrible and seem like it was fiction.” In 2013, Celia’s stepfather Frankie told Billboard that losing a child was “not something you ever, ever get over. It’s just not supposed to be that way.”

ALSO, READ; Mary Mandel: What happened to Frankie Valli’s ex-wife?

Celia Valli’s mother Mary Mandel also passed away in 2007. According to the Jersey Boys Blog, Celia’s mother, Mandel also died on May 10, 2007. Mandel and Frankie got married in 1957 and divorced 13 years later in 1971. Frankie married MaryAnn Hannagan in 1974, and that marriage lasted eight years. He then married Randy Clohessy in 1984; they had three sons and separated in 2004. Frankie married his current wife Jackie Jacobs, on June 26, 2023, in Las Vegas.

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