In the 1960s, he skyrocketed to stardom after being branded a ‘teen idol’ for his musical prowess and good looks. Fans were particularly fond of ‘Bobby Sox to Stockings’ and ‘Venus.’
At the same time as he was making waves as a musician, Avalon also tried his hand at acting. His filmography
is dominated by titles like ‘Muscle Beach Party’ and ‘Beach Party,’ both of which take place on the beach.
He only appeared in a few films of the genre, but that’s because he capitalized on its brief popularity.
By the 1970s, the actor had gone back to his musical origins, giving his iconic song ‘Venus’ a fresh new sound.
He also sang the song ‘Beauty School Dropout’ in the film ‘Grease’ for the character of Frenchy, played by Didi Conn.
The next decades saw a slowing of Frankie Avalon’s career, but he was still able to make a few appearances
on other shows including ‘American Idol.’ Along with Bobby Rydell and Fabian, two other 2000s teen idols, he also went on tour.
In terms of his love life, he married pageant winner Kathryn Diebel in 1963 and has remained faithful to her ever since. Together, they have eight children and more than 10 grandkids.
By 2015, the actor/singer had taken a completely new path and made the decision to pursue a career in the culinary arts.
He created a cookbook titled ‘Frankie Avalon’s Italian Family Cookbook’ that included over 80 traditional Italian recipes that he loves to cook for his wife and large family.
He explained that he changed careers since he has a big family and the majority of them enjoy eating his homemade meals in an interview with Fox News in 2015.
Even though the majority of his children are grown and have their own families, the actor claimed in the interview that
they continue the custom of gathering for Sunday dinners at his house, where he would prepare various Italian specialties.
‘That’s been a ritual for me, and that’s what I wanted to relay with this book—that tradition is very important to me,’ he said.
Because all eight of his children live within ten miles of his home, it was simple for him and his kids to get together on the weekends.
In a 2015 interview with VC Star, he stated that he intended to continue the custom even after his death.
He continued, ‘Now my children and grandchildren have this piece of stuff they may refer to.
He reminisced some of his career’s most memorable events in a 2016 interview with AZCentral, including working with his on-screen co-star Annette Funicello, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 70.
His response to the question of whether the actress was as sweet as everyone claimed was that,
in his opinion and memory, his former co-star was ‘nicer than anybody’ he had previously worked with.
Despite the fact that Funicello was already deceased, he claimed that their families ‘were very close and still are.’
He was her first daughter’s godfather, and her husband, Jack Gilardi, was still his agent at the time, so they were able to keep a close relationship.
It has always been a family-related situation, and the death was just a terrible way to go. He characterized Funicello’s passing as «such a severe condition (multiple sclerosis) is.
Many people would presume that Avalon would be a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame given his long career in the business, but this wasn’t the case.
He stated in the interview that it makes no difference to him whether he is given the honor of being inducted into the Rock Hall or not,
but he questioned why some of the artists received the accolade when he had no idea who they were or what they had contributed to the business.
Even though he was already well into retirement age at the time of the interview, he said that he liked staying active when asked whether he might consider retiring from what he was doing.
Avalon doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon since he is still active on social media and occasionally does live Facebook broadcasts where he shares recipes and performs cooking demonstrations.
