Wayne Osmond, Original Member of the Singing Osmonds, Dies at 73 

Wayne Osmond, Original Member of the Singing Osmonds, Dies at 73 

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

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

“I’ve never known a man that had more humility. A man with absolutely no guile. An individual that 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 have influenced the lives of many people around the world,” his family added in a statement. “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.”

Born on Aug. 28, 1951, in Ogden, Utah, Melvin Wayne Osmond — he was the fourth of nine kids — 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 was appearing on ABC’s TheLawrence Welk Show and becoming regulars on NBC’s The Andy Williams Show, with two more brothers, Donny and Jimmy, eventually coming aboard.

The Osmonds reached the height of their fame in the 1970s, scoring a huge hit with the single “One Bad Apple,” which spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 100 starting in February 1971 (the song was originally meant for the Jackson 5). They also headlined The Osmond Brothers Special for CBS that year.

In 1972, the brothers appeared in animated form on a Saturday morning kids show.

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

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