Wayne Osmond, whose baritone voice and skills as a multinstrumentalist helped propel the Osmond Brothers to fame at a young age, died at the age of 73 on Jan. 1.
The second-oldest sibling in the Osmond Brothers — and the fourth of the nine Osmond siblings — died from a stroke, his younger brother, Donny, shared in a post on social media.
“Wayne brought so much light, laughter, and love to everyone who knew him, especially me,” Donny shared. “He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone. I’m sure I speak on behalf of every one of us siblings when I state that we were fortunate to have Wayne as a brother. Even though we are separated in this mortal life, I know that by the grace and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will have the opportunity to be with Wayne for eternity. I love you, Wayne. Your brother forever, Donny.”
Here’s a look at six performances from the Osmonds — including a performance from the original four Osmond Brothers at Disneyland in the 1960s and their last performance together in 2019.
The Osmond Brothers at Disneyland
Long before there was Donny and Marie, or the superstardom of The Osmonds in the 1970s — when the brothers performed on the same stage as Elvis at The Hilton in Las Vegas — there were the Osmond Brothers, a barbershop quartet-style act that had its unofficial start with a performance of “Oh Dear Lord in Heaven” for their Latter-day Saint church congregation in Ogden, Utah, as the Deseret News reported in 2018.
The Osmond Brothers gained even more traction following a performance at Disneyland, where they gathered a crowd and stopped traffic with their barbershop act. The brothers became regular performers at the theme park.
‘The Andy Williams Show’ — Donny Osmond’s debut
While performing at Disneyland, the Osmond Brothers caught the eye of Andy Williams’ father. About five years after they first sang in church, the siblings made their debut on “The Andy Williams Show.”
Their younger brother, Donny Osmond, joined them on the show at the age of 5 to perform “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby.” During the performance, young Donny sits on Andy Williams’ lap as his older brothers surround him, smiling and harmonizing throughout the song.
The brothers regularly appeared on “The Andy Williams Show” throughout the 1960s.
‘One Bad Apple’
The Osmond Brothers later rebranded to The Osmonds and got their first No. 1 hit with “One Bad Apple” — Jan. 2 marked 54 years since the song reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
Donny Osmond has said that the song was originally written with The Jackson 5 in mind, as the Deseret News reported. “One Bad Apple” came during The Osmonds’ era of wearing Elvis Presley-inspired rock ‘n’ roll jumpsuits.
“I still remember one of Elvis’ visits backstage while we were performing at The International in Las Vegas,” Osmond wrote a few years ago in an Instagram post. “He told us, ‘I got a new look for you,’ and suggested we try out jumpsuits like his. He was the inspiration for what went on to become The Osmonds’ iconic jumpsuit.”
Donny Osmond’s YouTube channel includes a 1973 performance of “One Bad Apple,” with the brothers decked out in their signature jumpsuits.
‘Crazy Horses’
Wayne Osmond co-wrote several of The Osmonds’ greatest hits — including “Crazy Horses,” which reached No. 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100.
“Crazy Horses” was a significant stylistic departure for the Osmonds, with its hard rock sound.
“Before that, my brothers and I had been what’s now called a boyband: all our songs were chosen for us by the record company. But now, having been successful, we wanted to freak out and make our own music,” Merrill Osmond told The Guardian. “We were rehearsing in a basement one day when Wayne started playing this heavy rock riff. I came up with a melody and Alan got the chords. Within an hour, we had the song.
“When the label heard it, they said: ‘Guys, what on earth are you doing?’” he continued. “But when the record started flying up the charts, we got their respect, even though it was initially banned in France because they thought ‘smoking up the sky’ was about drugs.”
Jay Osmond said “Crazy Horses” changed the general perception of The Osmonds.
“Before that, we’d been called ‘bubblegum,’” he told The Guardian. “But suddenly we were getting invited to see Led Zeppelin at Earls Court, to sing ‘Stairway to Heaven’ with them on stage. We went backstage and met their families and everything. Great guys. We even used their sound system when we played Earls Court ourselves the following night.”
1980 BYU concert, revisiting their early days
The 1980s saw a revival of the original Osmond Brothers lineup, where they had two top 30 Billboard Country hits, including “I Think About Your Lovin,’” which peaked at No. 17.
During a 1980 show at Brigham Young University, the Osmonds revisited their earliest days in show business, reenacting bits they performed from their time at Disneyland and on “The Andy Williams Show” as a barbershop quartet. The brothers recalled how nervous they were when they auditioned at Disneyland and “Mr. Walt Disney himself showed up,” which caused Jay Osmond to mess up the routine.
But Disney apparently enjoyed the errors and the brothers were encouraged to keep it in the routine — “I had to make mistakes on purpose,” Jay Osmond said.
A reunion for Marie
Wayne Osmond suffered a few health setbacks over the years and ended up retiring from the music industry — but he did reunite with brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay to serenade his one and only sister, Marie Osmond, for her 60th birthday in 2019.
Marie Osmond was visibly emotional as CBS’ “The Talk“ aired a video that featured her brothers sharing their love for her and singing “Happy Birthday” to her off-key — an Osmond family tradition.
As a birthday gift to herself, Marie said, she had the four brothers “performing together for the final time ever” on “The Talk.” The brothers performed “The Last Chapter,” a song they wrote and released in 2018 to thank their fans.
“I am so honored to be your sister,” Marie Osmond said with emotion following the performance. “I love you guys, you’ve worked so hard. Enjoy your retirement.”