What was Tommy DeVito's Net Worth?
Tommy DeVito was an American musician and actor who had a net worth of $5 million at the time of his death. Tommy DeVito died on September 21, 2020, at the age of 92 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tommy DeVito was best known for being a member of the doo-wop group "The Four Seasons." He served as a vocalist and the lead guitarist. The group's story would later be adapted as the basis of the musical "Jersey Boys" and a film of the same name. He left the group in 1970 and subsequently sold his share of the group's intellectual property rights to his bandmates Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio. Serious gambling problems led to him cleaning houses within a few years just to get by. His biggest career payday came in 2005 when the Broadway musical "Jersey Boys," debuted. He made significantly more money off the musical than he ever did from his music career.
Tommy began his professional music career in the early 1950s. He formed a trio with his brother and a family friend. After several name changes and the addition of a fourth member named, Francis Castelluccio, a.k.a. Frankie Valli, the group became known as the Four Lovers. They began recording as the Four Lovers, releasing several singles and a full-length album. Nick and Hank subsequently left the group, and for the next few years, a revolving series of musicians would perform with them.
In 1956, they made their first television appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show". In 1960, the group finally solidified with DeVito, Valli, Bob Gaudio, and Nick Massi. This quartet became known as The Four Seasons and released several hits over the course of the next few years. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1999. DeVito recorded a number of hit songs with the Four Seasons during his time with the band in the 60s, including the consecutive chart-topping hits "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," and "Walk Like a Man."
Early Life
Tommy DeVito was born as Gaetano DeVito on June 19, 1928 in Belleville, New Jersey as the youngest of nine children of Italian immigrant parents. He got into music early on in life, teaching himself to play his brother's guitar when he was eight and performing in local taverns by the time he was 12. However, DeVito also got himself into trouble with the law, and spent multiple stints in jail for petty crimes. He dropped out of school after the eighth grade and went on to form his own band.
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Career Beginnings
In the early 50s, DeVito formed the group the Variety Trio with his brother Nick and Hank Majewski. The group performed under several different names and with various lineups. Eventually, it became a quartet with the addition of Francis Castelluccio (later known as Frankie Valli), and was renamed the Variatones. In 1956, the group signed a recording contract with RCA Victor under the new name the Four Lovers. DeVito and Castelluccio were the only consistent members of the group, which released seven singles and one album as the Four Lovers. Their biggest hit was their debut single, "You're the Apple of My Eye," which was written by Otis Blackwell. The success of the single landed the Four Lovers a spot on "The Ed Sullivan Show" in 1956.
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The Four Seasons
After his brother Nick left the Four Lovers, DeVito and Valli reformed the group. Through Joe Pesci, they were introduced to Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi, with whom they formed the Four Seasons in 1960. The band had its first number-one hit two years later with "Sherry," which was written by Gaudio just 15 minutes before a group rehearsal. Two consecutive chart-topping hits followed: "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man." The group had its last number-one hit in the US with 1964's "Rag Doll." Following the departure of Massi from the group in 1965, the Four Seasons briefly played with Charles Calello before adding Joe Long. Due to changing musical tastes in the wake of the British Invasion, the band struggled to regain its popularity.
DeVito left the Four Seasons in April of 1970, just before the release of the album "Half and Half." He had become weary of all the traveling and clothes-changes required of the job, and was fed up with the monotonous routine of performing. Additionally, he had fallen into serious debt due to his gambling addiction. Upon his departure from the band, DeVito sold Valli and Gaudio his rights to the Four Seasons' name, touring act, and material. Along with the other original members of the band, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Later, in 2005, DeVito joined Valli and Gaudio on stage at the Broadway premiere of the jukebox musical "Jersey Boys," which chronicles the early days of the Four Seasons. The musical was a huge hit, winning four Tony Awards and reviving the Four Seasons' popularity.
Personal Life and Death
After leaving the Four Seasons in 1970, DeVito moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where a number of his siblings were living. There, he became a card dealer. He fell on hard times, and blew through his fortune within a year's time. DeVito subsequently cleaned houses for work.
DeVito was married twice. He had two children from his first marriage and one child, a daughter, from his second. In September of 2020, DeVito passed away in Las Vegas from complications of COVID-19. He was 92 years of age.
