Wayne Osmond obit

Wayne Osmond dies at 73

 

He was not on the list.

SALT LAKE CITY — On Thursday, sources close to the Osmond family confirmed to KSL TV that Wayne Osmond has died. He was 73.

The Osmond family issued a statement in wake of the news:

Wayne Osmond, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his loving wife and five children. His legacy of faith, music, love, and laughter have influenced the lives of many people around the world. He would want 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.

Starting in 1958, Wayne and three of his brothers (Alan, Merrill, and Jay in their respective age orders) began singing as a barbershop quartet. They were later discovered in 1961 by Jay Emerson Williams, the father of Andy Williams, at a performance at Disneyland which was being filmed for the Disneyland After Dark episode of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. In 1962, the four Osmonds were cast over a seven-year period on NBC's The Andy Williams Show, a musical variety program. Each of these four Osmond brothers were also cast in nine episodes of the 1963–1964 ABC Western series, The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, with Wayne in the role of young Leviticus Kissel.

In the band's rock formation, Wayne played guitar. Wayne was found to have perfect pitch.

His last intended appearance with the Osmonds was October 13, 2018, although he made an additional appearance with his brothers a year later as a birthday present to their sister, Marie.

Osmond was born in Ogden, Utah, the son of Olive May (née Davis; 1925–2004) and George Virl Osmond (1917–2007). On December 13, 1974, Wayne married Kathlyn White from Bountiful, Utah, a former Miss Davis County Fair and Miss Utah of 1974. They have five children, three daughters and two sons. In the 1990s, Osmond moved to Branson, Missouri. In 1997, he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which was successfully treated, at the expense of his hearing; the treatment damaged his cochlea, leaving Wayne nearly deaf. A stroke in 2012 left him unable to play guitar. Like the rest of his family, he was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.