
Mary Mandel is the first wife of Frankie Valli. Mary Mandel’s ex-husband is an American singer, known as the frontman of the Four Seasons beginning in 1960. He is known for his unusually powerful lead falsetto voice. He scored 29 top 40 hits with the Four Seasons, one top 40 hit under the Four Seasons alias the Wonder Who?, and nine top 40 hits as a solo artist. As a member of the Four Seasons, Valli’s number-one hits include “Sherry”, “Big Girls Don’t Cry”, “Walk Like a Man”, “Rag Doll” and “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)”.
Mary Mandel: Bio Summary
Full Name | Mary Mandel |
famous as | Ex-wife of Frankie Valli |
Age | N/A |
Date of Birth | N/A |
Place of Birth | United States of America |
Zodiac sign | N/A |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | Caucasian |
Children | Francine Valli, Antonia Valli, Celia Sabin Valli |
spouse | Frankie Valli (m. 1957–1971) |
Who is Mary Mandel?
Mary Mandel is famous for being the first wife of legendary singer Frankie Valli. She was born in Newark and resided for some time in Nutley. Though she was born in the United States of America there isn’t much information regarding her date of birth and her close family. Mary was also known as Mary Delgado. She came into the spotlight after they got married. The couple have also not spoken about the circumstance that brought them together.
However, PEOPLE reported that Mandel had a 2-year-old daughter named Celia Sabin Valli when the pair met. The former love birds got married in 1957 in a beautiful wedding ceremony in the presence of their friends, families, and loved ones. Mandel and Valli’s marriage was also blessed with two children- Francine Valli and Antonia Valli.
Though the details of Valli and Mandel’s marriage were kept private, Frankie Valli’s first wife has been portrayed onstage by a number of actresses in the play Jersey Boys. In fact, a familiar face from the Valli family has even had the opportunity to bring part of Mandel’s story to life — the former couple’s granddaughter, Olivia Valli.
Mary Mandel was portrayed by her granddaughter on Broadway
Olivia Valli is the daughter of Antonia Valli- Mary Mandel and Frankie Valli’s daughter. Mary’s granddaughter joined the cast of Broadway’s production of Jersey Boys in 2019 as her grandmother- Mary Delgado, marking what many Broadway fans believe is the first time someone has portrayed a family member on Broadway.
ALSO, READ; Francine Valli: How did Frankie Valli’s daughter die?
When Olivia called her famous grandfather Frankie Valli to break the news that she’d be joining the musical about his life and career and also portraying her grandmother, “I was thrilled. I couldn’t believe it,” Frankie, told PEOPLE. “But I had seen Olivia do a show while she was still in school before she became a professional, and I knew it was there. She just needed that opportunity.“
Olivia Valli told the Italian Tribune in an interview that, the experience of portraying her grandmother was very special. She said- “I love honoring my family eight times a week doing what I love,” she revealed. “I’m absolutely honored to join such an incredible cast. Everyone is so wonderful and insanely talented. To know I am performing on stage with them is really something special.“

Mary Mandel and Frankie Valli’s divorce
After being together for more than a decade, Mandel and Valli called their marriage a quit in 1971. The reason behind their divorce was not made public. There were married for 14 years before going their separate ways. Valli got married three times after his marriage with Mandel came to an end, he married MaryAnn Hannagan in 1974, then married Randy Clohessy in 1984. Frankie married his current wife Jackie Jacobs, on June 26, 2023.
ALSO, READ; MaryAnn Hannigan: Where is Frankie Valli’s ex-wife now?
What happened to Frankie Valli’s ex-wife Mary Mandel?
In 1980, a few years after the couple went their separate ways, Mary’s daughter Celia Valli died in an accident. Just six months after her death another tragedy struck the family again. Valli and Mandel’s daughter Francine Valli died of a drug overdose.
As Antonia later explained to PEOPLE in 2008, “We were still grieving Celia’s death, [but] Francine was in a good place, gearing up to start singing with my dad. That lives with you forever,” Valli added. “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; Celia Valli: What happened to Frankie Valli’s daughter?
According to the Jersey Boys’ Blog, Frankie Valli’s ex-wife Mary Mandel also died on May 10, 2007. They wrote -“Sad news to report: The real-life “Mary Delgado”–Mary Valli, Frankie Valli’s first wife, passed away on April 28 at the Saint Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, NJ.” The cause of her death was not mentioned. Mary Mandel is survived by her daughter Toni Valli, three grandchildren, and a brother and sister.
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