UNSPECIFIED – JANUARY 01: Photo of Alan OSMOND and OSMONDS; Alan Osmond (Photo by Gems/Redferns)
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Alan Osmond, the oldest brother of the hit-making Osmond Brothers singing group, has died.
The singer-songwriter died Monday night, according to ABC4 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was 76.
Alan Osmond sang in the Osmond Brothers alongside his brothers Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny and Jimmy. Born on June 22, 1949, in Ogden, Utah, Alan Osmond was the third oldest of the eight Osmond siblings. In addition to the Osmond Brothers singers, the family included older brothers Virl and Tom Osmond, and his younger sister Marie Osmond.
Alan Osmond and then the Osmond Brothers first found fame performing on The Andy Williams Show and his subsequent TV specials in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, the Osmond Brothers recorded a string of hits including “One Bad Apple,” “Yo-Yo,” “Down by the Lazy River,” “Hold Her Tight,” “Crazy Horses” and “Love Me for a Reason.”
Alan Osmond was married to Suzanne Pinegar, and they had eight children together. According to ABC 4. Pinegar and his children were by his bedside at the time of his death, the station reported.
Alan Osmond’s cause of death was not given. Salt Lake City’s KSL-TV reported that he had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987.
LOS ANGELES – MARCH 28: (Pictured left to right) Alan (age 21); Wayne (age 18); Merrill (age 17); Jay (age 15); and Donny (age 12) star in The Osmond Brothers Special, a 30 minute musical variety show, originally broadcast on CBS television Sunday, March 28, 1971. Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
CBS via Getty Images
In a tribute to his brother posted on Facebook early Tuesday, Merrill Osmond wrote, “Two days before my brother, Alan, passed, I was blessed to sit quietly with him. We talked as brothers do, heart to heart. He was struggling, but when I shared a joke or two, he found the strength to chuckle … and then he smiled.
“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.’ I want you to know, his request will be honored.”
UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 29: MILLENNIUM HOTEL Photo of OSMONDS and Alan OSMOND and Jimmy OSMOND and Wayne OSMOND and Marie OSMOND and Merrill OSMOND and Donny OSMOND and Jay OSMOND, Family group promoting The Osmonds 50th Anniversary Reunion DVD L-R Alan, Jimmy, Wayne, Marie, Merrill, Donny and Jay Osmond (Photo by Stuart Mostyn/Redferns)
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Alan Osmond Also Worked In Television
In addition to the Osmond Brothers’ career, Alan Osmond had a TV career as a producer, mainly consisting of Osmond family productions.
Among his producer credits were the Donny and Marie variety show and The Osmond Family Show. He also served as executive producer on The Osmond Family Christmas Special and the TV series Marie, starring Marie Osmond.
Alan Osmond also directed Marie Osmond’s music videos for the songs “Only Wanted You” in 1985 and “There’s No Stopping Your Heart.”