Alan Osmond, the eldest of the brothers in the ’70s family band the Osmonds, died on Monday. He was 76.
A spokesperson for the Osmond family confirmed Alan’s death to ABC4 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Osmond died around 8:30 p.m. on Monday night with his wife Suzanne and eight children by his side, the spokesperson said. The musician was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987, after which he mostly retired from performing besides a few appearances.
Osmond was born in Ogden, Utah, on June 22, 1949, the third of nine eventual Osmond siblings and the oldest of the seven who could sing (his older brothers, Virl and Tom, were hearing impaired). He and his three younger brothers, Wayne, Merrill and Jay, begin singing as a barbershop quartet in 1958 and eventually moved to Los Angeles to pursue a music career. They first worked at Disneyland before being discovered by the father of talk-show host Andy Williams, leading to a seven-year stint as singers on “The Andy Williams Show.” They were later joined by even younger brothers Donny and Jimmy and became teen idols, reaching the peak of their popularity from 1971 to 1976 with hits including “One Bad Apple,” “Love Me for a Reason,” “Crazy Horses” and “Down by the Lazy River.” From 1976 to 1979, the Osmonds transitioned to TV, starring in the show “Donny & Marie” alongside their only sister, Marie Osmond.
As the eldest brother in the band, Alan was often seen as its de facto leader. Both a singer and guitarist, he wrote and produced many of the group’s songs along with Merrill.
In a tribute on Facebook, Merrill shared the last words Alan said to him: “In a tender moment I will never forget, he leaned close and whispered something into my ear. He said, ‘Merrill, you and I worked side by side. We created, we produced, we directed… we gave our hearts to The Plan with Wayne. Please… do something with it. Let people know what we were trying to say.’”
Merrill continued: “My brother has now stepped into the presence of our Father in Heaven with honor and peace. His life was not measured in years, but in love, sacrifice, and purpose. His creativity, his vision, and his deep understanding of the Savior’s teachings were simply part of who he was. He lived it. He felt it. He shared it. He wanted me to tell you how much he loved you, and I believe that with all my heart. He gave everything he had to the Lord, to his family, and to all of you. He truly was a missionary. He truly was a saint.”
Osmond is predeceased by his brother Wayne, who died in January 2025. He is survived by his wife Suzanne and sons Michael, Nathan, Doug, David, Scott, Jon, Alex and Tyler.
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From Variety US