Frankie Valli, better known as the falsetto king, is an artist based in America. In the span of five decades, Valli has enjoyed a successful career as both a solo artist and a band member. Today, he is remembered for songs like Let’s hang on, Sherry, and Ragdoll.
Perhaps his most memorable work came in the popular musical Jersey Boys. In total, Frankie and his group sold about 175 million album covers. It makes them one of the most successful bands in history. Meet Frankie Valli’s first wife, Mary Mandel. Also, know about the reason for their separation through this article.
Who was Mary Mandel?
Mary Mandel was a celebrity wife who owes her popularity to her second husband, Frankie Valli. Before that, she was married to a man named Selleck. The two even had a daughter together, Celia Sabin Selleck. Though information about Mary is scarce, we found that she died on the 28th of April 2007. She passed away in Livingston, New Jersey, at the St. Barnabas Medical Centre. While there were no reports regarding her death, it was widely speculated that she suffered from a few health complications relating to old age.
Her relationship with Frankie Valli.
Mandel and Frankie reportedly first started dating in the early 50s. A year after their relationship became public, the two were walking down the aisle. They tied the knot in 1954. The first half of their marriage was remarkable. Frankie officially adopted Mandel’s first child, Celia, raising her like he would his own daughter.
After some time, Mary and Valli had two other daughters. These are Francine and Antonia. Everything changed for Mary and the rest of the family after the Four Seasons took off.
Her husband became a famous musician, which meant that the rest of his family also became popular in extension. This meant that they had to deal with their newfound fame. Unsurprisingly, it would put a strain on Mary’s marriage and family in extension. By 1971, Frankie and Mandel officially ended their marriage. This came after they spent 18-years together as husband and wife.
It was not the only tragedy that Mary had to contend with. Less than a decade after they split up, the former couple lost two of their daughters. In 1980, Celia died after an ill-fated accident outside her apartment. A few months later, Frankie and Mary lost another daughter, Francine. She died after a drug-related overdose. This was initially ruled a suicide, though it was later determined that it had been an accident.
Their Divorce
When Mary and Frankie separated, neither was willing to address their failed marriage. For the most part, the two were content to continue co-parenting their kids. This meant that they had to stay on relatively good terms with each other, for their kids’ sake more than anything.
In an interview, however, Valli revealed that his music career put a strain on his marriage. Frankie said that to become successful, he had to put his music before everything else.
