Frankie Valli Will Always Be a Jersey Boy at Heart

At age 90, most people would be ready to retire from life on the road, but not Frankie Valli. The legendary singer is still out performing with The Four Seasons on their “Last Encores” tour, and he says the tour name is not an accurate reflection of how he feels: “When it’s the last, they’ll hear it from me. … There’ll come a time when I’ll say enough is enough. But I don’t think I’m ready for that right now.” He shares with AARP how he celebrated his 90th birthday; how he’s enjoying marriage with his fourth wife, Jackie Jacobs, 61; and why he’ll always be a Jersey boy at heart.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

What do you hear most from your fans?

Well, they don’t want [us] to stop performing. We have a very wide range of people that come to see us — everything from very young kids to people in their 60s, 70s and 80s. So it’s quite amazing.

So many people know you and your music from the long-running Broadway musical Jersey Boys. Are you still a Jersey boy all these years later?

I’ll always be a Jersey boy. That’s where I grew up [Newark’s Stephen Crane Village public housing project; in 2023, a street was named Frankie Valli Way in his honor]. That’s where I was born, and I loved my childhood, even though we were not a wealthy family.

Valli is seen here in 1966 with The Four Seasons members Joe Long, Tommy DeVito and Bob Gaudio.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

What would you have done if your musical career didn’t work out?

Well, I was a hairdresser for a short period. My dad was a barber. And he always thought that I should forget about “the singing” and get into the hair business. And I liked it. It was one of the things that I chose to go after. I just didn’t like working in a shop. It’s different than when you’re in school and you can do what you want — you can be creative.

Are there any artists you’d still like to record with?

There was a time that I wanted to put together a trio, but it just never worked out. The people were Dion from Dion and the Belmonts and Felix Cavaliere of the Rascals. For some reason, we talked about it a lot, but that just never came about.

What artists do you enjoy listening to?

I like anything. [Frank] Sinatra, Little Jimmy Scott, the Four Freshmen.…Phil Collins, Elton John, Billy Joel are [some] I really like and listen to.