Wayne Osmond, Singer and Guitarist With the Osmonds, Dies at 73
Mr. Osmond was a founding member of the family pop group, which had a slew of hits in the 1970s, including “One Bad Apple” and “Yo-Yo.”
Wayne Osmond, an original member of the family singing group the Osmonds, which had a string of pop hits in the 1970s and helped launch the careers of his more renowned siblings Donny and Marie, died on Wednesday in Salt Lake City. He was 73.
As an original member of the group, which began as a sibling quartet initially called the Osmond Brothers, Wayne and his brothers were child stars who later became ubiquitous pop stars in the 1970s. As practicing Mormons, the family built a brand around resisting the temptations of fame while capturing the spirit of the era with their flared jumpsuits and rollicking dance choreography.
Songs including “One Bad Apple” and “Yo-Yo” became Top 10 singles in the early 1970s, and drew comparisons to the Jackson Five — especially with the younger Donny hitting his raspy high notes — and propelled the family to a feverish level of fame.
