Alan Osmond, the eldest member of the Osmonds, died on Monday, his family confirmed. He was 76.
“It is with profound sadness that we share the passing of my beloved brother, Alan Osmond,” Merrill Osmond, 72, said in a statement to People. “I was grateful to be with him shortly before he passed and to share a final meaningful moment together. Alan was a gifted creator, a man of faith, and a deeply loving soul whose life blessed many.”
Alan died around 8:30 p.m. local time on Monday, a spokesperson for the family confirmed to ABC4 Utah.
His wife, Suzanne Pinegar Osmond, and their eight sons were by his side when he died, according to CBS affiliate KUTV.
In a separate statement on Facebook, Merrill wrote, “Two days before my brother, Alan, passed, I was blessed to sit quietly with him. We talked as brothers do, heart to heart. 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,” he added.
“So please, don’t let your hearts be heavy. Don’t weep for him. Rejoice, knowing that your brother, your friend, your hero is no longer in pain. He is free. He is whole. He is home,” Merrill continued. “Before he passed, I whispered one request to him. I asked him, when he gets there … please give my son Troy a big hug for me. He looked at me and promised he would. And somehow … I believe that promise has already been kept.”
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Alan was the oldest of the Utah-based musical group the Osmonds, which included his brothers Merrill, Jay, 71, Donny, 68, Jimmy, 63, Wayne, who died in 2025 at the age of 73, and his sister, Marie, 66.
The Osmonds were known for such 1970s hits as One Bad Apple, Yo-Yo and Down By the Lazy River.
The siblings’ career began in the 1950s when Wayne, Alan, Merrill and Jay sang as a barbershop quartet.
The Osmonds front row from left, Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay, and back row from left, Jimmy, Marie and Donny, pose for photographers at a media event in London, on May 29, 2008.
AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth
Their popularity grew in the 1960s after being supported by singer Andy Williams, and they peaked as a quintet in the early 1970s, with younger brother Donny Osmond the breakout star.
The Osmonds’ popularity faded by the mid-1970s, although Donny and Marie Osmond both enjoyed successful careers as solo performers and as a brother-sister duo.
Alan was diagnosed with primary-progressive multiple sclerosis around 40 years ago, according to a press release from MS Views and News.
MS is a neurological disease of the central nervous system, which includes the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves, according to the MS Society of Canada.
“I may have MS, but MS does not have me,” Alan said.
In an interview with Connecticut 8 Style, Alan and his son, David, spoke about both living with MS.
“I had these symptoms. My right side went out. I noticed I was tripping, then I couldn’t play my trumpet as fast and didn’t know what it was,” Alan shared. “We worked on it and went to doctors all over for almost three years until they finally said, ‘Well, it’s MS.’”
David said when he first started showing symptoms, the last thing he thought was that it was MS.
“It was so vastly different from my dad’s symptoms,” he said. “Within a few months, I was actually in a wheelchair. I couldn’t move from the chest down. My eyesight diminished and music, like I was doing my entire life just like my dad, was done. It’s pretty amazing that I’m back on my feet. I’m doing incredibly well.”
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with an estimated 90,000 people living with the disease, according to the MS Society of Canada. On average, 12 Canadians are diagnosed with MS every day, with most diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 49, the organization said.
Alan is survived by his wife, Suzanne, and sons Michael, Nathan, Doug, David, Scott, Jon, Alex and Tyler. He is also survived by his brothers Virl, Tom, Merrill, Jay, Donny and Jimmy and his sister Marie, and 30 grandchildren.
— With files from The Associated Press
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