Wayne Osmond, singer of The Osmonds, has died at the age of 73.

Wayne Osmond, a founding member of the family band The Osmonds, who 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 everyone who knew him, especially me,” Donny Bhai wrote. “He was the ultimate optimist and loved everyone.”

Meryl Osmond called. His late brother was “a genius in his ability to write music” who was “able to capture the hearts of millions and bring them closer to God”.

He continued: “I’ve never known a man with more humility. A man with absolutely no illusions. A person who was quick to forgive and unconditional to everyone. was capable of showing love to anyone he had ever met.”

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

Born in August 1951 in Ogden, Utah, Wayne was the fourth oldest of nine children and was raised in a Mormon household.

As a child, he began performing in a barbershop with siblings Allen, Merrill and Jay.

By 1961, the syncopated brothers were regular performers at Disneyland in California. A year later, he made his TV debut on The Andy Williams Show.

He quickly became a regular on the show due to his flawless, tireless practice, earning the nickname “One Take Osmonds”.

Younger sibling Donnie joined the lineup in 1963, and they began expanding their repertoire to include clean-cut pop songs.

Their early singles flopped but, after the success of The Jackson 5 showed 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, he was given a song called One Bad Apple (Don’t Spill the Whole Bunch), originally written for Jackson but rejected by his record label.

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 siblings produced a feverish enthusiasm similar to that of 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 watch their arrival. A balcony railing and part of a wall collapsed into the crowd, injuring 18 women.

Hundreds of fans thronged his limousine upon his departure. A New York Times reporter said “They were lucky to survive.“, while the Guardian called 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 fade by the mid-1970s.

At the same time, Donnie and Mary Osmond were offered their own TV variety show, which became a huge hit in the US and was shown by BBC One in the UK.

As a result, the band went on hiatus and eventually disbanded in 1980, although they reformed regularly for county fairs and reunion tours in the following decades.

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

In 1994, he noticed that the situation was worsening.

“I realized I couldn’t play my saxophone anymore because my head would start pounding.” he later recalled. “And my knees would fall out from under me when I was on stage. It all started happening within a week.”

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

In 2019, the musician joined his siblings Alan, Meryl and Jay for his final performance on the TV show The Talk.

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

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

Wayne spent his retirement enjoying hobbies including fly fishing and spending time with his family. He maintained an optimistic outlook, telling the Utah newspaper Desert News that the hearing loss didn’t bother him.

“My favorite thing now is tending to my yard,” He said. “I turn my hearing aids off, as deaf as a doorknob, tune everything out, it’s a real joy.”

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

He is also survived by his eight siblings: Verrel, Tom, Alan, Merrill, Jay, Donnie, Mary and Jimmy.