Alan Osmond, the vocalist, musician, and eldest brother in the classic Seventies family band the Osmonds, died Monday, April 20. He was 76.
A spokesperson for the Osmond family confirmed Alan’s death to ABC 4 in Salt Lake City. A cause of death was not given, though Alan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987. The spokesperson said Alan was surrounded by his wife, Suzanne, and children when he died.
One of Alan’s brothers and bandmates, Merrill, recalled the last conversation they shared in a tribute on Facebook. “We talked as brothers do, heart to heart,” Merrill wrote. “He was struggling, but when I shared a joke or two, he found the strength to chuckle… and then he smiled. In a tender moment I will never forget, he leaned close and whispered something into my ear. He said, ‘Merrill, you and I worked side by side. We created, we produced, we directed… we gave our hearts to The Plan with Wayne. Please… do something with it. Let people know what we were trying to say.’ I want you to know, his request will be honored.”
Alan, along with siblings, grew up members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ogden, Utah and cut their musical teeth singing in the church choir. In the late Fifties, Alan, along with brothers Merrill, Jay, and Wayne, formed a barbershop quartet, and the group found early work around Los Angeles, including gigs at Disneyland and a long-running stint on The Andy Williams Show.
In the mid-Sixties, the Osmonds welcomed younger brother Donny and transformed into a bubblegum pop band. In 1970, they scored a Number One hit with “One Bad Apple” (a track originally written for the Jackson 5), kicking off an impressive run that saw them become one of the biggest groups of the 1970s — and a famously clean-cut, family friendly counterpoint to some of the headier, seedier, and sexier elements of pop culture at the time.
While Alan rarely sang lead vocals for the Osmonds, he was one of the band’s creative leaders. Early on, the Osmonds frequently recorded other people’s songs, but soon Alan and his brothers were co-writing much of their material, including hits like “Down by the Lazy River,” “Crazy Horses,” and “Hold Her Tight.” Alan also became one of the group’s lead producers, helming several albums, including the Osmond’s 1973 LP, The Plan.
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Released at the height of the Osmond’s fame, The Plan was an encapsulation of the Osmond family’s faith and philosophy (the album’s title is a nod to the Mormon concept of the Plan of Salvation). It was also musically adventurous, with explorations of prog and synth pop on songs like “Movie Man,” which features a rare lead vocal performance from Alan.
The Osmonds’ success earned them a rarified status in the Church of Latter-day Saints, with church elders crediting them with tens of thousands of baptisms during the Seventies. But by the mid-Seventies, the family band was also taking a backseat to Donny’s burgeoning solo career, as well as his successful work alongside his sister, Marie.
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The decade ended tumultuously, with the Osmond family’s fortune drained by a series of swindlers and grifters. Patriarch, George Osmond, refused to let the family declare bankruptcy, prompting Alan and his brothers to take any gig they could — from corporate retreats to county fairs — as the family worked to pay back their debts.
In 1987, Alan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, but was able to keep working for a couple more decades. He effectively retired in 2007, but made a few onstage appearances in the late 2010s. He continued to write songs, as well, penning a track for Orem, Utah’s centennial celebrations in 2019. He and his wife, Suzanne, had eight children together.
