Some People Think the Mob Is Forcing a 91-Year-Old Frankie Valli to Keep Performing

In May 2023, Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons spoke with People about what it felt like to turn 89. "It's just another year, the way I look at it," said the veteran singer. "So far, knock on wood, my health has been good enough so that I can drive — I have all my marbles, and I'm always interested in learning."

After almost nine decades on this planet, Frankie said he still listened to new music in order to find inspiration. When asked about staying young at heart, Frankie said it's all about keeping your mind and body active. "I know people who couldn't wait to retire, and when they got to the moment of retirement, they started getting old real quick." Two years later Frankie is still performing, but a video circulating online shows the singer possibly lip-syncing. Let's get into it.

In a December 2025 post to the Pop Culture Chat Subreddit, user @biebrforro posted a haunting video of Frankie looking wide-eyed and a bit confused. He is attempting to sing "My Girl," but while his mouth is barely moving, the vocals are coming in loud and clear.

Speaking of Frankie's voice, it sounds much younger than his 91 years. There are also several TikToks that show the same questionable performance.

This is not the first time Frankie has been accused of pulling off a faux performance. Back in August 2024, the New York Post reported that Frankie may have been lip-syncing during a show at the Mountain Winery in the San Jose suburb of Saratoga.

He was looking similarly frail and couldn't quite keep the beat as he snapped his fingers. Fans voiced their concern via social media posts, wondering who would do this to him. Some folks have a theory.

One conspiracy theory suggests Frankie continues to perform because the mob is forcing him to do so. Back in 2015, Dan Rather interviewed Frankie on his show The Big Interview. It was during this conversation that Dan asked the singer about his Italian heritage and possible ties to the mob.

Part of Frankie's family was first-generation Italian, and the neighborhood he grew up in, in Newark, N.J., was partially populated by the mob.

"There were these guys in the neighborhood who were bookmakers, and there was gambling... and there were private, illegal card games in various parts of the city," explained the singer.

This was normalized for Frankie, who thought it was like that everywhere.

When he started singing, Frankie discovered that most of the little clubs where he performed were owned by members of the mob.

"I never had any problems with any of them," he said, "and maybe it was just because I knew everybody and all the places I've ever worked, those were the people that came in."

Frankie did reveal that one guy he was extremely close with was a Captain in the Genovese crime family. His name was Angelo "Gyp" DeCarlo, and he was like a father to Frankie.

"All I knew about Gyp DeCarlo was he was involved in gambling," recalled Frankie.

He didn't realize until much later that his relationship with DeCarlo was why no one ever messed with him.