Member of the singing Osmond family was 73

On By Littum

Wayne Osmond, who provided a powerful baritone voice to the harmony pop group that became known as The Osmond Brothers and then The Osmonds, has died. He was 73.

Osmond died Wednesday night in a Salt Lake City hospital after suffering “a massive stroke,” his brother Merrill Osmond reported.

“I have never known a man who had more humility. A man completely without guile. An individual who was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met,” he wrote on Facebook.

“His legacy of faith, music, love and laughter has impacted the lives of many people around the world,” his family added in a statement. “He wanted everyone to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that families are forever, and that banana splits are the best dessert. We love him and will miss him dearly.”

Born on August 28, 1951 in Ogden, Utah, Melvin Wayne Osmond – he was the fourth of nine children – sang with his older brother Alan and younger brothers Merrill and Jay in a barbershop quartet that began performing in 1958 for their Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints congregation.

Before long, the foursome appeared on ABC’s The The Lawrence Welk Show and become regulars on NBCs The Andy Williams Showwith two more brothers, Donny and Jimmy, eventually coming on board.

The Osmonds reached the height of their fame in the 1970s and scored a huge hit with the single “A Bad Apple,” which spent five weeks at no. 1 on the February 1971 Billboard 100 (the song was originally intended for the Jackson 5). They also had headlines Osmond Brothers Special for CBS that year.

In 1972, the brothers appeared in animated form on a Saturday morning children’s show.

Donny Osmond and sister Marie Osmond would, of course, go on to appear together on their own 1970s ABC variety show, Donny and Marie.

Wayne Osmond, who had five children with his wife, Kathlyn, had his share of health problems over the years. He underwent surgery for a brain tumor in 1997, suffered a stroke in 2012 and was treated for cancer. He is the first of the Osmond siblings to die.