Wayne Osmond, singer of The Osmonds, has died aged 73

Wayne Osmond, a founding member of the family band The Osmonds, which had a string of hits in the 1970s, has died aged 73.

Wayne was a singer and guitarist, and wrote many of his biggest hits, including Crazy Horses, Goin’ Home And Let Me In.

“Wayne brought so much light, laughter and love to all who knew him, especially me.” wrote brother Donny. “He was the ultimate optimist and he was loved by all.”

Merrill Osmond called his late brother “a genius in his ability to write music” who was “capable of capturing the hearts of millions of people and bringing them closer to God.”

He continued: “I have never known a man who had more humility. A man without guile absolute. An individual who was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met.”

Merrill and Donny said the cause of death was a stroke.

Born in August 1951, in Ogden, Utah, Wayne was the fourth oldest of nine children and grew up in a Mormon home.

As a child, he began performing in a barbershop quartet with brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay.

By 1961, the Harmonizing Brothers were regular performers at Disneyland in California. A year later, they made their TV debut on The Andy Williams Show.

They quickly became regulars on the show, earning the nickname “Osmonds one-take” due to their flawless, tireless performances.

Younger brother Donny joined the line-up in 1963, and they began to expand their repertoire to include clean pop songs.

Their initial singles failed, but after the success of the Jackson 5 proved that family pop could be a commercial success, MGM Records signed the band and sent them to work at the famous R&B studio Muscle Shoals.

There, they gave a song called One Bad Apple (Don’t Spoil the Whole Bunch), which was originally written for the Jacksons, but was rejected by their record company.

Perky, bubbly and bright, the song topped the US singles chart for five weeks in 1971 and established the band as a chart presence, a decade after their professional debut.

For a while, the brothers generated the same kind of feverish excitement as the Beatles.

When the band flew into Heathrow Airport in 1973, 10,000 teenage fans packed the roof gardens of a nearby office block to see them arrive. Part of the balcony railing and wall collapsed amid a growing crowd, slightly injuring 18 women.

At his departure, hundreds of fans mobbed his limousine. A New York Times reporter said “they were lucky to escape alive“, while the Guardian reported the scenes almost led to a ban on pop groups entering the UK via Heathrow.

But pop is a fickle industry, and The Osmonds’ record sales began to decline in the mid-1970s.

At the same time, Donny and Marie Osmond were offered their own TV variety show, which became a massive success in the United States and was shown by BBC One in the United Kingdom.

As a result, the band went on hiatus and ultimately disbanded in 1980, although they would regularly reform for county fairs and reunion tours over the next few decades.

Wayne Osmond suffered from a number of health problems during his life. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor as a child, which resulted in cognitive problems.

In 1994, he noticed that the condition was getting worse.

“I noticed I couldn’t play my saxophone anymore because my head started throbbing.” he remembered later. “And my knees would fall out from under me when I was on stage. This all started happening within a week.”

Subsequent surgery and related cancer treatments resulted in significant hearing loss that persisted for the rest of his life. He also suffered a previous stroke in 2012.

In 2019, the musician joined his brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay for his last performance on the TV show The Talk.

Performing in front of a screen showing a montage of their career highlights, the original quartet performed a song called The Last Chapter, written as a thank you to their fans.

Sister Marie, who hosted the show, joined them later to pay tribute, saying: “I’m so honored to be your sister. I love you guys. You’ve worked so hard. Enjoy your retirement.”

Wayne spent his retirement indulging in hobbies, including fly fishing, and spending time with his family. He maintains an optimistic outlook, telling the Utah Desert News newspaper that the hearing loss hasn’t bothered him.

“My favorite thing right now is taking care of my garden,” he said. “Put my hearing aids on, deaf as a doorknob, tune everything out, it’s really joy.”

He is survived by wife Kathlyn and five children, Amy, Steven, Gregory, Sarah and Michelle.

He is also survived by his eight siblings: Virl, Tom, Alan, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy.