‘Jersey Boys’ Inspiration Tommy DeVito Cause Of Death: Four Seasons Member Dies At 92

Tommy DeVito died on Monday night. One of the founding members of the Four Seasons, the 92-year-old died in Las Vegas after being hospitalized with COVID-19.

DeVito’s cause of death was coronavirus, NJ.com reports. Actor Alfred Nittoli, a friend of the baritone singer, announced DeVito’s death on Facebook. He died at Siena St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson, Nevada.

Four Seasons members Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio released a statement: “It is with great sadness that we report that Tommy DeVito, a founding member of The Four Seasons, has passed. We send our love to his family during this most difficult time. He will be missed by all who loved him.”

DeVito started performing with Valli in a group called the Variatones in 1954. They founded The Four Seasons in 1960 and found success shortly after. DeVito played guitar and provided baritone vocals for the band alongside original members Valli, Gaudio and Nick Massi.

The beginnings of the band inspired “Jersey Boys,” a musical that ran on Broadway for over a decade, starting in November 2005 and ending in January 2017. It is the 12th longest-running show in Broadway history. “Jersey Boys” won Best Musical at the 2006 Tony Awards and was eventually turned into a film directed by Clint Eastwood.

DeVito left The Four Seasons in 1971 but was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame with his former bandmates in 1990. Massi was the first of the original members to pass. His death was caused by cancer in 2000.

The Belleville, New Jersey native is survived by his daughter, Darcel DeVito Collins.

The U.S. recently surpassed 200,000 deaths due to coronavirus.