Alan Osmond, the eldest member of showbiz family the Osmonds, died Monday. He was 76.
According to a family spokesperson, Alan was home with his wife, Suzanne Osmond, and their eight sons at the time of his death. Before his passing, Alan used a wheelchair and spent a week in intensive care before returning to his Lehi, Utah, home on Thursday. Osmond had lived for decades with multiple sclerosis.
Donny Osmond shared a tribute to his brother on social media Tuesday morning, posting a photo of a young Alan holding a baby Donny.
“Even back then, you can see that he had his arm around me, watching over me,” Donny wrote. “That’s who he was. My protector. My guide. The one who quietly carried so much responsibility so the rest of us could shine.
“Alan was our leader in every sense of the word. His tireless work helped build everything we became. I will always be grateful for the sacrifices he made and the love he showed—not just to me, but to every member of our family. I owe him more than I can ever fully express.”
Alan Osmond helped pen some of the Osmonds’ chart-topping hits, including “One Bad Apple,” “Crazy Horses” and “Are You Up There?”
Born in Ogden, Utah, on June 22, 1949, Alan Osmond’s storied musical career began in the 1950s when his musically inclined father George taught him and his brothers Wayne, Merrill and Jay to sing tight harmonies as a barbershop quartet. The goal was to raise funds for the two eldest Osmond siblings, Virl and Tom, who were born with severe hearing loss and needed pricey, specialized education and hearing aids.
Alan Osmond was the oldest of the performing group and the third-oldest of his siblings. The brothers cut their teeth as performers working the state fair circuit in Utah. Then a fortuitous gig at Disneyland led to a television debut on “Disney After Dark” in 1962.
“Walt Disney was there and saw us,” Alan Osmond said during a 2023 KSL News Utah special. “He came over and he saw our routine. Jay made a mistake with this little hat routine. [Walt] said, ‘Keep it in the act!’”
According to Alan, variety show host Andy Williams’ father saw the brothers perform on “Disney After Dark,” and the rest was history. “That launched us into our career on TV,” he said.
The group became regulars on “The Andy Williams Show,” performing more than 60 times from 1962 through 1967. In 1968, the group moved to “The Jerry Lewis Show,” and then returned to “Andy Williams” in 1969.
“They knocked us all out,” Williams said during the KSL special. “They were terrific.”
By the late ‘60s, the wholesome harmonies of the group were going out of style, and a new era of music dominated. The brothers took notice and leveraged their musicianship to reinvent themselves. Alan played piano, guitar, co-wrote and co-produced songs alongside Merrill, who also played bass and sang lead vocals. Jay played the drums, Wayne handled lead guitar, and Donny played keyboard and helped Merrill out with vocals. The group pivoted from television to the recording studio and, backed by MGM Records, released their third album, “Osmonds,” in the fall of 1970.
In 1971, the Osmonds tallied nine gold records, surpassing single-year bests by Elvis and the Beatles. Not only was the rock ‘n’ roll album considered a breakthrough for the group, but a star emerged: Donny.
In the mid-to-late 1970s, Alan became a principal producer on ABC’s hit television show “The Donny & Marie Show,” starring his brother and sister.
“A lot of them say, ‘Well, you killed your rock and roll career because you always helped Donny and Marie so much,’” Alan told KSL. “And I said, ‘You know what? That’s what families do.’”
“The Donny & Marie Show” wrapped in 1979, and the original Osmond brothers — Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay — returned to the stage in 1982, but this time as a country group. At the time, Alan told the Associated Press that he switched to country music because it better fit their wholesome image.
“Country music really is the backbone of America,” he said. “It doesn’t just come and go. And we’re kind of flag-wavers. You find that in the country area, too.”
In 1987, Alan Osmond was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It caused him to retire from performing with his family.
Merrill Osmond also paid tribute to Alan in a social media post, writing that he was with his brother just two days before he passed.
“We talked as brothers do, heart to heart,” he wrote. “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 … Please… do something with it. Let people know what we were trying to say.’”
Merrill described his brother as a true missionary and “a saint” and wrote that Alan’s life was not measured in years, “but in love, sacrifice, and purpose.”
“He gave everything he had to the Lord, to his family, and to all of you.”
His brother Wayne Osmond died at the age of 73 in 2025 after suffering a stroke.
Alan is survived by his wife, Suzanne; his eight sons, Michael, Nathan, Doug, David, Scott, Jon, Alex and Tyler; 30 grandchildren, five great-grandchildren; brothers Virl, Tom, Merrill, Jay, Donny and Jimmy; and sister Marie.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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