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Donny and Marie Osmond’s brothers: An inside look at the famous family behind Donny & Marie
It has been 50 years since Donny and Marie Osmond became TV staples with the show Donny & Marie, which first aired on January 23, 1976 and continued until May 1979. The brother and sister duo later reimagined the concept of the show during their Las Vegas residency, which was from 2008 to 2019.
Before fame changed their lives, Donny and Marie were just two of the nine children raised by George Virl Osmond and Olive May in Utah. The other siblings are brothers Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, and Jimmy.
Donny has achieved a great deal of success in his career but his rise was actually linked to his brothers’ band, The Osmonds. The band, consisting of Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, and later Donny, became very successful in the 1970s.
In January 2025, the family faced a huge tragedy when Wayne Osmond passed away at the age of 73. His death was reported by Donny, Merrill, and Jay in their social media posts.
The following is a rundown of all things relating to Donny and Marie Osmond’s brothers.
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The Osmond Kids Were Raised in Utah and Have a Family Compound
George and Olive Osmond were starting their family when in 1945, after the arrival of their first son George Virl Osmond. They kept having children until 1963 when their youngest son James “Jimmy” Osmond was born.
The siblings being raised members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah, never really drifted far from their faith and the values they inherited from their parents as they grew up. Some of them even purchased land next to each other’s homes on a secluded street which was colloquially known as “Osmond Lane” and had nine lots for the nine siblings.
“Wayne was the first to do it, I built next to him, Donny’s was next to me and Marie’s and they sold them,” Alan said while showing the houses in the 2003 documentary Being the Osmond Brothers. “That is where Merrill built and he has always been a fan of pillars. We had a huge racket club, golf club, swimming pools.”
Donny Osmond Came on The Osmonds With His Older Brothers
When Donny Osmond was not yet born, four of his older brothers — Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay — used to perform as a barbershop quartet called The Osmond Brothers on The Andy Williams Show. When Donny was 5 years old, he was the fifth member of the group, and after that, they were simply known as The Osmonds.
The band made a lot of hit records, toured to sold-out audiences, and gained a fan following, especially among teenage girls. But the music business had some tough demands and their father’s high expectations were a heavy load for the brothers.
“The main thing I remember about The Andy Williams Show is, unfortunately, being very, very nervous,” the oldest brother, Merrill, said in the documentary Being the Osmonds. “I was a nervous guy and I wanted to please Andy Williams so much… Everything had to be perfect, we were known as the one take Osmonds.”
He continued, “We all had that same feeling, that same nervous feeling of having to measure up to something, which can’t be measured.”
Even at the tender age of 8, Alan was the leader of the group and among his brothers, he was jokingly called “No. 1.”
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Donny and Marie’s Older Brothers Beat Deafness to Join the Family Music
Virl and Tom, the two oldest of the Osmond siblings, came into the world almost fully deaf, but their folks were willing to do anything to make sure the kids wouldn’t be treated differently.
During an interview with ABILITY Magazine, Donny revealed that the kids collectively took sign language lessons so that they could all communicate without any problems. The kids would sign to each other backstage when their parents and the rest of the band were performing.
Though they weren’t part of the family band, Virl and Tom still shared their family’s love for music in their own way.
In the documentary “Being the Osmond Brothers,” Virl said that he showed his brothers how to tap dance, and that both he and Tom took saxophone lessons.
Tom also developed an interest in the piano to the point of completely mastering it by sensing the keys vibrations.
“Music has fascinated me, I love music,” he explained.
“At the age of 5, I really enjoyed every minute of it.”
According to Virl, when Tom was being taken to a school for students with hearing impairment, his teachers there didn’t believe that he could play the piano and his mother got even more fired up to help him succeed and prove them wrong.
Marie Osmond Is Loved as the Only Sister Out of Nine Siblings
With eight brothers around her, Marie Osmond as the only daughter has always been a very special favorite to them. For her 60th birthday in 2019, the whole family made a video expressing their love for their sister and it was aired on The Talk. They narrated a little moment from when Marie was born.
“It was so long ago that there were seven brothers only and we went and saw the hospital when we knew it was a little girl who came and sang outside the hospital,” Alan revealed in the video. “Mom opened the window and held Marie out to us as we sang, ‘I want a girl. Just like the girl that married dear old dad.’ ”
The brothers then turned to the present and praised the kind of person Marie is now.
“If there’s anything I can say my sister is a great compliment that she is so much like our mother,” Jay said. “She’s not only a great wife but a loving mother to her kids and a very nice grandmother.”
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The Osmond Siblings Have Each Raised Large Families
The lives of the Osmond family members have been rich in more ways than just in music. The Osmonds as a whole have over 50 descendants between them and quite a few of these have become grandparents too.
A few of the family members have also kept the music industry tradition alive. The children of Alan Osmond banded together to form the second generation music group called The Osmond Boys. It is revealed in the family’s documentary that they led a disciplined lifestyle just like their father’s, they would get up at 5:45 a.m. to practice listening to each other and harmonizing as well as rehearsing choreographed dance routines for their own barbershop quartet.
The Osmond siblings carry each other through life’s trials
The Osmond family have, time and again, been each other’s rock. In 1994, Wayne found out he had a brain tumor but beat it after six months and lived till January 2025. Alan was later diagnosed with ALS, which is a muscle-wasting illness.
When Marie’s son Michael died by suicide in 2010, her brothers supported her and were with her even at the funeral. Marie was very touched by their love and support that never wavered.
“I’d just like to say thank you to everybody,” she declared. “Obviously, I have great support from some wonderful men; my family, my brothers. It was very wise of God when He placed me in such a family because my brothers have been like examples to my children.”
Donny and Marie took to social media in 2018 asking for prayers for Tom who was to undergo a quadruple bypass surgery.
“As most of you know, my brother Tom had a quadruple bypass surgery on Saturday. Now, he is on life support and fighting very hard to survive,” Donny wrote along with a photo of them as kids.
Marie also gave an account of Tom, his nature, in an Instagram tribute. “Tom is a very lively and loving man!” she wrote. “He deeply touches people’s hearts with his big smile and warm hugs. His love for people is so great that even strangers are included in it.”
Tom has after that gotten better and left the hospital for his private life.
Wayne Osmond Passed Away in January 2025 After Having a Stroke
Wayne Osmond passed away on January 1, 2025, in Salt Lake City after having a stroke, according to the social media posts of his brothers Merrill, Donny, and Jay.
Donny stated on Instagram that he got to see Wayne at the hospital before he “passed away peacefully.” He also mentioned that his brother was always a positive influence in his life.
“Wayne, without any doubt, brought so much light, laughter and love to the world around him especially to me,” Donny exclaimed. “He was the greatest optimist and very popular… we were lucky to have Wayne as a brother.”
Merrill in his post on Facebook also mentioned that Wayne was very forgiving and showed to everyone that he met without exception, a love that was not dependent on conditions. Jay said that Wayne was the sibling whom he felt the “strongest connection” with and added, “I am deeply heartbroken for my brother Wayne’s passing… where there is great love there is great grief as we part during our earthly journey.”
