Ex-'Four Seasons' Member, NJ Native Dies Of COVID-19: Reports

NEW JERSEY – A New Jersey native who was a former member of the Four Seasons music group has died from complications due to COVID-19, according to his former band and reports.

Joe Long, an Elizabeth native who also lived in Long Branch, died on Wednesday, Anthony Newell, a close friend and member of the Jersey Four tribute band, told NJ Advance Media. The Asbury Park Press also reported that he died from the disease.

He is the second member of the group to die from COVID. Tommy DeVito, a member of the Four Seasons and one of the artists who inspired the hit musical "Jersey Boys," died from complications related to the coronavirus last year. He was 92. Read more: Belleville's Beloved 'Jersey Boy' Tommy DeVito Dies Of COVID-19

"It is with great sadness that we learned that our dear bandmate, Joe Long, has passed away. We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fans," Frankie Valli, who led the Four Seasons group, announced on his Facebook page.

Long replaced member Nick Massi in 1965, becoming the first replacement for a band that has since seen several dozen members move and out, according to NJ Advance Media. Long, a classically trained member of the New York Philharmonic, played bass guitar and sang backgrounds for the group until 1975, the report said.

“They were looking for a guy, and I fit the bill,” Long once told NJ Advance Media. “I was in the right place at the right time.”

During Long’s tenure, the band notched several more hits beyond its “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry” heyday a half-decade earlier, including “Opus 17 (Don’t You Worry ‘Bout Me)” in 1966 and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” and “C’mon Marianne” in 1967, according to NJ Advance Media.

Long was the grandson of Italian immigrants, born Joseph LaBracio in Elizabeth, according to njarts.net. NJ Advance Media said his age was 88, but njarts.net said he was born in 1941.

His friend Alfredo Nittoli posted on Facebook about the death and Long’s struggles with COVID, according to njarts.net.

Long's run with the Jersey group ended in the mid 70s, and after that, he formed the rock band LaBracio and jazz group Jersey Bounce. He was inducted, along with the rest of Four Seasons, into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2018, according to The Press. In 2014, High Street in Elizabeth was renamed Joe Long Way in his honor.

DeVito, a Belleville native, rose to fame as a founding member, vocalist and lead guitarist for the Four Seasons, a band known for hits such as "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like A Man."

Bandmates Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio announced DeVito's passing on social media, writing that "he will be missed by all who loved him."

A spokesperson for Valli told The New York Times that the cause of death was related to the coronavirus.

After learning about DeVito's death, Assemblyman Ralph Caputo of the 28th District released a glowing statement in his memory. Caputo wrote: