Frankie Valli is disputing a wave of news reports that he has retired, calling the claim false after outlets took at face value a statement from his younger brother suggesting the 92-year-old singer’s decades-long career had ended.
“He is not retired. This is false,” Mr. Valli’s longtime representative, Victoria Varela, told Variety Friday, shortly after an entertainment publication had reported he was retiring after 60 years on stage. Mr. Valli has actually been performing for about 75 years.
Mr. Valli reinforced the denial himself Friday afternoon in a statement posted to his social media accounts: “In spite of what you might have heard, I am not retired.”
The statement contradicts a Wednesday Facebook post from his younger brother, Bobby Valli, who wrote that Mr. Valli “will now retire” and that the family appreciated fans’ “love and concern,” language that many outlets interpreted as an official retirement announcement.
Speculation about Mr. Valli’s future had already been building since May, when he canceled the remaining dates on what had been billed as a farewell tour, “The Last Encores,” citing health reasons and saying he planned to take the rest of the year off. Ms. Varela said at the time that the decision to cancel rather than postpone was made out of consideration for ticket-holders, so their money would not be held in limbo during a lengthy rescheduling process.
Mr. Valli last performed Feb. 22 at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.
Mr. Valli rose to fame as lead singer of the Four Seasons and later as a solo artist in the 1960s, scoring hits including “Walk Like a Man,” “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Rag Doll” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2025. His life and career inspired the Broadway musical “Jersey Boys,” which ran from 2005 to 2017 and was later adapted into a 2014 film directed by Clint Eastwood.
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