Getty ImagesWayne Osmond, a founding member of the family band The Osmonds, who had a string of hits in the 1970s, has died at the age of 73.
Wayne was a singer and guitarist, co-writing many of their best-known songs, including Crazy Horses and Goin' Home And Let Me In.
“Wayne brought so much light, laughter and love to everyone who knew him, especially me,” he added. Brother Donnie wrote. “He was very optimistic and loved by everyone.”
Contact Meryl Osmond His late brother is a “genius in his ability to write music” who “was able to capture the hearts of millions of people and bring them closer to God.”
He continued, “I never knew a man who was more humble. A man who had absolutely no guile. An individual who was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met.”
Merrill and Donnie said the cause of death was a stroke.
Getty ImagesWayne was born in August 1951 in Ogden, Utah, the fourth oldest of nine children, and grew up in a Mormon family.
As a child, he began performing in a quartet with his brothers Alan, Merrill, and Jay.
By 1961, the harmonious brothers were regular performers at Disneyland in California. A year later, they made their television debut on The Andy Williams Show.
They quickly became regulars on the show, earning the nickname “One-take Osmonds” due to their flawless and tirelessly rehearsed performances.
Younger brother Donnie joined the lineup in 1963, and they began expanding their repertoire to include great pop songs.
Their initial singles failed, but after the success of the Jackson 5 showed that family pop could be a commercial success, MGM Records signed the band and sent them to work at the famous R&B studio Muscle Shoals.
There, they were given a song called One Bad Apple (Don't Spoil the Complete Collection), which was originally written for the Jacksons but was rejected by their record company.
The fun, bubbly, bright song topped the US singles chart for five weeks in 1971 and established the band's presence on the chart, a decade after their professional debut.
For a while, the siblings generated the same kind of frenetic excitement as the Beatles.
When the band flew into Heathrow Airport in 1973, 10,000 teenage fans crowded the roof gardens of the adjacent office building to see them arrive. Part of the balcony railing and wall collapsed in the crowd, leaving 18 women with minor injuries.
As they left, hundreds of fans piled into their limousines. A New York Times reporter said:They were lucky to escape alive“, while the Guardian told the scenes It almost led to a ban On pop groups entering the UK via Heathrow Airport.
But pop music is a fickle industry, and The Osmonds' record sales began to decline by the mid-1970s.
At the same time, Donnie and Marie Osmond were offered their own television variety show, which became a huge hit in the US and was shown by BBC One in the UK.
As a result, the band went on hiatus and eventually disbanded in 1980, although it reformed regularly for county fairs and reunion tours over the following decades.
Wayne Osmond has suffered from a number of health problems during his life. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor as a child, which led to cognitive problems.
In 1994, he noticed that the condition was getting worse.
“I noticed that I could no longer play the saxophone because my head started throbbing.” He later recalled. “And my knees were giving out from under me when I was on stage. It all started happening within a week.”
Subsequent surgery and related cancer treatments resulted in significant hearing loss that lasted for the rest of his life. He also suffered a previous stroke in 2012.
In 2019, the musician joined his brothers Alan, Meryl and Jay for their last-ever performance on the TV show The Talk.
While performing in front of a screen that showed a montage of highlights from their career, the original quartet performed a song called The Last Chapter, written as a thank you to their fans.
Sister Mary, who presented the presentation, joined them afterwards to pay tribute, saying: “I'm so honored to be your sister. I love you guys. You've worked so hard. Enjoy your retirement.”
Wayne spent his retirement indulging in hobbies including fishing and spending time with his family. He maintained an optimistic outlook, telling the Desert News in Utah that the hearing loss didn't bother him.
“My favorite thing right now is taking care of my yard.” He said. “I turn my hearing aids off, I'm as deaf as a doorknob, I adjust everything, and it's really exhilarating.”
He is survived by his wife, Kathleen, and five children, Amy, Stephen, Gregory, Sarah and Michelle.
He is also survived by his eight siblings: Verl, Tom, Alan, Merrill, Jay, Donnie, Mary and Jimmy.
