Alan Osmond, 'Crazy Horses' co-songwriter and eldest member of the Osmonds, dies at 76

Alan Osmond, the eldest subordinate of showbiz household the Osmonds, died Monday. He was 76.

According to a household spokesperson, Alan was location with his wife, Suzanne Osmond, and their 8 sons astatine the clip of his death. Before his passing, Alan utilized a wheelchair and spent a week successful intensive attraction earlier returning to his Lehi, Utah, location connected Thursday. Osmond had lived for decades with aggregate sclerosis.

Donny Osmond shared a tribute to his member connected societal media Tuesday morning, posting a photograph of a young Alan holding a babe Donny.

“Even backmost then, you tin spot that helium had his limb astir me, watching implicit me,” Donny wrote. “That’s who helium was. My protector. My guide. The 1 who softly carried truthful overmuch work truthful the remainder of america could shine.

“Alan was our person successful each consciousness of the word. His tireless enactment helped physique everything we became. I volition ever beryllium grateful for the sacrifices helium made and the emotion helium showed—not conscionable to me, but to each subordinate of our family. I beryllium him much than I tin ever afloat express.”

Alan Osmond helped pen immoderate of the Osmonds’ chart-topping hits, including “One Bad Apple,” “Crazy Horses” and “Are You Up There?”

Born successful Ogden, Utah, connected June 22, 1949, Alan Osmond’s storied philharmonic vocation began successful the 1950s erstwhile his musically inclined begetter George taught him and his brothers Wayne, Merrill and Jay to sing choky harmonies arsenic a barbershop quartet. The extremity was to rise funds for the 2 eldest Osmond siblings, Virl and Tom, who were calved with terrible proceeding nonaccomplishment and needed pricey, specialized acquisition and proceeding aids.

Alan Osmond was the oldest of the performing radical and the third-oldest of his siblings. The brothers chopped their teeth arsenic performers moving the authorities just circuit successful Utah. Then a fortuitous gig astatine Disneyland led to a tv debut connected “Disney After Dark” successful 1962.

“Walt Disney was determination and saw us,” Alan Osmond said during a 2023 KSL News Utah special. “He came implicit and helium saw our routine. Jay made a mistake with this small chapeau routine. [Walt] said, ‘Keep it successful the act!’”

According to Alan, assortment amusement big Andy Williams’ begetter saw the brothers execute connected “Disney After Dark,” and the remainder was history. “That launched america into our vocation connected TV,” helium said.

The radical became regulars connected “The Andy Williams Show,” performing much than 60 times from 1962 done 1967. In 1968, the radical moved to “The Jerry Lewis Show,” and past returned to “Andy Williams” successful 1969.

“They knocked america each out,” Williams said during the KSL special. “They were terrific.”

By the precocious ‘60s, the wholesome harmonies of the radical were going retired of style, and a caller epoch of euphony dominated. The brothers took announcement and leveraged their musicianship to reinvent themselves. Alan played piano, guitar, co-wrote and co-produced songs alongside Merrill, who besides played bass and sang pb vocals. Jay played the drums, Wayne handled pb guitar, and Donny played keyboard and helped Merrill retired with vocals. The radical pivoted from tv to the signaling workplace and, backed by MGM Records, released their 3rd album, “Osmonds,” successful the autumn of 1970.

In 1971, the Osmonds tallied 9 golden records, surpassing single-year bests by Elvis and the Beatles. Not lone was the stone ‘n’ rotation medium considered a breakthrough for the group, but a prima emerged: Donny.

In the mid-to-late 1970s, Alan became a main shaper connected ABC’s deed tv amusement “The Donny & Marie Show,” starring his member and sister.

“A batch of them say, ‘Well, you killed your stone and rotation vocation due to the fact that you ever helped Donny and Marie truthful much,’” Alan told KSL. “And I said, ‘You cognize what? That’s what families do.’”

“The Donny & Marie Show” wrapped successful 1979, and the archetypal Osmond brothers — Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay — returned to the signifier successful 1982, but this clip arsenic a state group. At the time, Alan told the Associated Press that helium switched to state euphony due to the fact that it amended acceptable their wholesome image.

“Country euphony truly is the backbone of America,” helium said. “It doesn’t conscionable travel and go. And we’re benignant of flag-wavers. You find that successful the state area, too.”

In 1987, Alan Osmond was diagnosed with aggregate sclerosis. It caused him to discontinue from performing with his family.

Merrill Osmond besides paid tribute to Alan successful a societal media post, penning that helium was with his member conscionable 2 days earlier helium passed.

“We talked arsenic brothers do, bosom to heart,” helium wrote. “He was struggling, but erstwhile I shared a gag oregon two, helium recovered the spot to chuckle… and past helium smiled. In a tender infinitesimal I volition ne'er forget, helium leaned adjacent and whispered thing into my ear. He said, ‘Merrill, you and I worked broadside by side. We created, we produced, we directed… we gave our hearts ... Please… bash thing with it. Let radical cognize what we were trying to say.’”

Merrill described his member arsenic a existent missionary and “a saint” and wrote that Alan’s beingness was not measured successful years, “but successful love, sacrifice, and purpose.”

“He gave everything helium had to the Lord, to his family, and to each of you.”

His member Wayne Osmond died astatine the property of 73 successful 2025 aft suffering a stroke.

Alan is survived by his wife, Suzanne; his 8 sons, Michael, Nathan, Doug, David, Scott, Jon, Alex and Tyler; 30 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren; brothers Virl, Tom, Merrill, Jay, Donny and Jimmy; and sister Marie.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.