Donny Osmond paid tribute to his late brother, Wayne Osmond, following his death on January 1.
The “Dancing with the Stars” season 9 champion posted to his Instagram page to recall his brother’s very special life hours after his death was reported in a statement posted by his family.
Wayne, 73, was the fourth son of George and Olive Osmond. He was part of the family’s 1960s barbershop quartet The Osmond Brothers, as well as a guitarist and founding member of the 1970s pop band The Osmonds. The latter group was known for their hits “One Bad Apple,” Yo-Yo,” and the hard rock hit “Crazy Horses.”
The other Osmond siblings are Virl, Tom, Alan, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie, and Jimmy.
Donny Osmond Was Grateful to See His Brother Before His Death
Donny Osmond paid tribute to Wayne in an Instagram post on January 2. The 67-year-old singer shared a throwback photo of his brother and captioned it to recall how beloved he was. Donny wrote that his brother Wayne died “peacefully” following a stroke. He shared that he was “grateful” that he was able to visit his brother in the hospital before his death.
“Wayne brought so much light, laughter, and love to everyone who knew him, especially me,” Donny wrote. “He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone. I’m sure I speak on behalf of every one of us siblings when I state that we were fortunate to have Wayne as a brother.”
”Even though we are separated in this mortal life, I know that by the grace and resurrection of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will have the opportunity to be with Wayne for eternity,” Donny concluded.
Donny Osmond once said his brother Wayne always made him smile. In a 2019 Facebook post, he shared a throwback of the brothers at the height of their fame. “When I think of my older brother Wayne, I can’t help but smile,” he captioned the pic. “He really is as good as they come. Wishing the handsome guy on the right a very #happybirthday.”
The Osmond Brothers Also Paid Tribute to Wayne
Several of the other Osmond siblings posted about Wayne’s death.
In a Facebook post, Merrill Osmond, 71, wrote that he had also been able to drive to the hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah to say goodbye to his brother before his death. He also shared no one had more “humility” or “unconditional love” than Wayne. “His legacy will go down as someone who was not only a genius in his ability to write music but was able to capture the hearts of millions of people and bring them closer to God,” Merrill wrote.
Merrill Osmond once credited Wayne for The Osmonds’ rogue 1972 hard rock hit, “Crazy Horses.”
“We were rehearsing in a basement one day when Wayne started playing this heavy rock riff. I came up with a melody and Alan got the chords. Within an hour, we had the song,” Merrill told The Guardian in 2017.
On January 2, Alan Osmond posted to Facebook to share a lengthy tribute to Wayne. He recalled Wayne’s sense of humor and musical talent. “We love to write songs together as brothers and we all are best of friends, let alone very close brothers who even built homes as neighbors on Osmond Lane, in Provo, UT.”
Alan previously noted that his siblings were so close that at one point they lived on “Osmond Lane.” The Provo, Utah neighborhood featured nine lots with houses for each of the Osmond siblings—and it was started by Wayne. “Wayne started first, I built next to him, Donny’s was next to me and Marie’s and they sold them,” Alan Osmond revealed in the 2003 documentary, “Being the Osmond Brothers,” according to People magazine.
Jay Osmond posted to Instagram to say that his heart was “deeply saddened” for the loss of his brother. “Throughout my life I have always felt most connected to Wayne out of all of my siblings,” Jay, 69, wrote. “He was my roommate and my confidant over the decades. What gives me joy is to know that my brother ‘Wings’ has earned his wings and I can only imagine the heights he is soaring right now. 😇 The reunion he must’ve had with Father and Mother I’m sure was spectacular!”
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