Osmond Brothers’ legend Wayne Osmond (far left), has died from complications of a stroke, his family confirmed on Thursday. He was 73.
“Wayne Osmond, beloved husband and father, passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his loving wife and five children,” the family’s statement obtained by local ABC affiliate KTVX read.
“His legacy of faith, music, love, and laughter have influenced the lives of many people around the world.”
Wayne was the second eldest of The Osmonds group, and the fourth oldest of the 9 Osmond children.
Wayne (left) is pictured in London in 1973 with his brothers (L-R) Merrill, Jimmy, Donny, Alan and Jay.
Wayne, Alan, Merrill and Jay started out singing as a barbershop quartet before younger brother Donny Osmond joined the group and they became a barbershop quintet.
The brothers performed for years on Disneyland After Dark. Andy Williams’s father, Jay, saw them perform and he told his son to book them on his television show, “The Andy Williams Show.”
The Osmond Brothers’ next big break came when their song “One Bad Apple” skyrocketed to No. 1 on the charts in 1970. The song was originally written for their competition, The Jackson 5. But Berry Gordy rejected “One Bad Apple” for the Jackson 5 because Motown Records had its own in-house songwriting team.
There were hard feelings in the Black community when The Osmonds stole the Jackson 5’s spotlight with an R&B song. But the 2 super groups eventually met and became good friends.
Listen to “One Bad Apple” below.
