Variety
NEWARK, NJ: Tommy DeVito, a founding member of the 1960s Four Seasons band, has died from the coronavirus at the age of 92, NJ.com reported.
His former bandmate Frankie Vallie wrote in a post on Facebook that DeVito had died, and said, “We send our love to his family during this most difficult time.”
Actor Alfred Nittoli said in a separate Facebook post that DeVito died Monday evening in Las Vegas at the age of 92.
DeVito along with Vallie, Bob Gaudio and Nick Massi founded the Four Seasons in 1960. They sang huge hits such as “Oh, What a Night,” and other sensations from Vallie’s solo collection, like, “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” The Broadway musical Jersey Boys, which opened in 2005, tells the story of the band. The musical eventually won a Tony award for best musical, a Grammy Award for best cast album, and was made into a feature film. (AP)
NEW YORK:
Gina Yashere has some tough stories to share but also some inspiring ones.
A memoir by the comedian, writer and producer and actor is called, “Cack-Handed” and comes out June 8, Amistad announced Monday. According to the publisher, an imprint of HarperCollins, Yashere will trace her life from growing up as a child of Nigerian immigrants in London to enduring the racist and sexist comments of coworkers while she was an elevator engineer. It will also detail the fulfilling of her dream of moving to the US and becoming a top standup comedian.
“The definition of cack-handed is lefthanded, which I am, and also awkward and clumsy, which I am. It also represents the unconventional track my life and career has taken,” Yashere said in a statement. “This is a book about trying, whether you succeed or not. About wanting something and going for it, despite how ridiculous, impossible, and stupid it sounds to other people. I’m excited to take you guys on this journey through my crazy life.”
The 46-year-old Yashere is a commentator on “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” and has starred in standup specials for Netflix and Showtime. She is a co-creator of the sitcom “Bob Hearts Abishola,” which she also appears in and helps write. (AP)
The man who killed John Lennon in 1980 says he was seeking glory and deserved the death penalty for a “despicable” act.
Mark David Chapman made the comments in response to questions last month from a parole board, which denied him parole for an 11th time. As in previous parole board hearings, the now 65-year-old inmate expressed remorse for gunning down the former Beatle outside the musician’s Manhattan apartment building.
“I assassinated him .. because he was very, very, very famous and that’s the only reason and I was very, very, very, very much seeking self-glory. Very selfish,” Chapman said, according to a transcript released by the state Monday after an open records request.
Looking back 40 years later, Chapman called his actions “creepy” and “despicable.” He said he thinks all the time about the pain he inflicted on Lennon’s wife, Yoko Ono.
“I just want her to know that she knows her husband like no one else and knows the kind of man he was. I didn’t,” he said. Chapman shot and killed Lennon on the night of Dec 8, 1980, as he and Ono were returning to their Upper West Side apartment. Lennon had signed an autograph for Chapman on a copy of his recently released album, “Double Fantasy,” earlier that day. (AP)