Stuart Mostyn/Redferns
NEED TO KNOW
Donny Osmond and Marie Osmond rose to fame on their variety show, Donny & Marie, which premiered on Jan. 23, 1976
The brother-and-sister pop duo were raised alongside their seven siblings in Utah
Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay and later Donny, formed The Osmonds in the 1970s
It's been 50 years sinceDonny OsmondandMarie Osmondsoared to popularity with their variety show,Donny & Marie.
The brother-and-sister pop duo took over screens on Jan. 23, 1976, and hosted the hit show until it came to an end in May 1979. They later reprised the show in theirLas Vegas residencythat ran from 2008 to 2019.
However, before Donny and Marie became household names, they were raised by parents George Virl Osmond and Olive May, in Utah, alongside their seven brothers: Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay and Jimmy.
Donny may have made his own name for himself outside of his famous family, but the singer owes his roots to his brothers' band, The Osmonds. Comprised of Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay and later Donny, the group skyrocketed to fame in the 1970s.
In January 2025,Wayne died at the age of 73, as Donny, Merrill and Jay confirmed in posts on social media.
Here's everything to know about Donny and Marie Osmond's relationship with their brothers.
They grew up in Utah
Anwar Hussein/Getty
George and Olive welcomed their first child, George Virl Osmond, in 1945. They continued having children until they gave birth to their last son, James "Jimmy" Osmond, in 1963.
They were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah. As they grew older, many of the Osmond siblings kept their roots in Utah and built homes next to each other.
The family even had their own street called "Osmond Lane," complete with nine lots and nine houses for each sibling.
"Wayne started first, I built next to him, Donny's was next to me and Marie's and they sold them," Alan said as he pointed out the homes in 2003'sBeing the Osmond Brothersdocumentary. "This is where Merrill built and he always loved pillars. We had a massive racket club, golf club, swimming pools."
Donny was in a band with four of his older brothers
Michael Ochs Archives/Getty
Before Donny was born, four of his brothers — Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay — performed in a barbershop quartet, The Osmond Brothers, onTheAndy Williams Show. When he was 5 years old, Donny joined the group and they changed their name to The Osmonds.
While the band found massive success, selling out crowds and finding a major fanbase, especially with young women, the brothers struggled under the pressure of their father and a demanding industry.
"My main memory ofTheAndy Williams Showwas sadly to say was very, very nervous. I was a nervous young man and I wanted to please Andy Williams so much," Merrill said in theBeing the Osmondsdocumentary. "And sometimes things just didn't go very well in rehearsal or even the taping and when they didn't go well, I felt guilty, I felt nervous. Everything had to be like perfect, one take Osmonds is what we were known for."
"We all had that same emotion, that same nervous feeling of having to measure up to something, that can't be measured up to," Merill continued.
Alan was the leader of the band at just 8 years old, and his brothers called him "No. 1."
Donny and Marie's two eldest brothers also partook in the family business
Ethan Miller/Getty
The oldest Osmond siblings, Virl and Tom, were born almost completely deaf, but Donny toldABILITYMagazinethat their parents decided "they were not going to treat my brothers differently." The family learned sign language and communicated that way while performing.
Though they weren't in the band, Virl and Tom took part in the musical side of their family as well. Virl explained in the documentary that he taught his brothers to tap dance and that both he and Tom learned to play the saxophone.
Tom even learned to play the piano by feeling the vibrations of the keys. "I was fascinated with music, I like music," he said. "I adored every minute of it when I was 5 years old."
Virl added that when Tom attended a school for the deaf, his teachers questioned why he wanted to play the piano, making their mother more determined to teach Tom so he could prove them wrong.
Marie is beloved as the only sister
GAB Archive/Redferns
As the only girl in a family of nine, Marie has a whole brood of brothers looking out for her. In honor of Marie's 60th birthday in 2019, her brothers made a sweet video that aired onThe Talkwhere they reflected on her birth.
"There were seven brothers at the time and we went to the hospital after we found out it was a little girl and we sang outside the hospital," Alan said in the clip. "My mother held Marie out the window as we sang, 'I want a girl. Just like the girl that married dear old dad.' "
The brothers went on to express how proud they were of who their sister grew up to be.
"I think the greatest compliment I can give my sister is that she's so much like our mother. She's not only a wonderful wife but she's a great mother to her kids and a wonderful grandmother," Jay said.
They all have large families of their own
Clayton Chase/WireImage
Between all the Osmond siblings, there are over 50 children. Each sibling went on to have big families of their own and on top of their own kids, the Osmond siblings are now grandparents.
Alan's children even continued the family business as they created the second generation of The Osmond Boys. They, too, woke up at 5:45 a.m. and followed a regimented routine as their father helped them learn their harmonies and choreograph dances for their own barbershop quartet, per the family's documentary.
They are there for each other in hard times
Daniel SIMON/Gamma-Rapho/Getty
The Osmond clan has each other's backs, especially when they've undergone difficult life changes. In 1994, Wayne was diagnosed with a brain tumor but recovered six months later and lived until January 2025. Later, Alan was diagnosed with ALS, a degenerative disease that weakens muscles.
When Marie's son Michael died by suicide in 2010, her brothers rallied around her during his funeral, and she thanked them for their continued love and support.
"I'd just like to say thank you to everybody," she said. "As you see I have amazing support from great men, my family, my brothers. God was very wise when he put me into a family with honorable men because they have served as examples for my children."
In 2018, Donny and Marie posted aboutTom's quadruple bypass surgery and asked fans for their prayers.
"As you may know, my brother Tom underwent quadruple bypass surgery on Saturday. He is on life support right now and fighting to hang on. It's been an emotional and challenging few days for all of us, so I hope you'll understand the radio silence from my end," Donnycaptioned a childhood photo of the twoa few days after the surgery.
Mariepenned a sweet tributein her own Instagram post, sharing how Tom was fighting on life support.
"Tom is so full of life and love!" she wrote. "I've always seen his enthusiasm through his Christ-like [heart]. He just has a way of warming hearts with his big smile and tender hugs. He has such great love for all people, including strangers. His ♥️is so tender that at times, I swear, it even breaks when he sees others struggling."
Tom has since recovered from the surgery and returned to his private life.
Wayne died in January 2025
C Brandon/Redferns
As Merrill, Donny, and Jay shared in social media posts, Wayne died on. Jan. 1, 2025, in Salt Lake City after suffering a stroke.
In a post onInstagram, Donny wrote that he had been able to visit his brother in the hospital before he "passed away peacefully."
"Wayne brought so much light, laughter, and love to everyone who knew him, especially me. He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone," Donny wrote. "I'm sure I speak on behalf of every one of us siblings when I state that we were fortunate to have Wayne as a brother."
In aFacebookpost, Merrill called Wayne "an individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met," while Jay wrote in his ownFacebookpost that Wayne had been the sibling he "always felt most connected" to.
"My heart is deeply saddened for the loss of my brother Wayne. It is said that where there is great love there is great grief as we part during our earthly journey," he wrote.
Read the original article onPeople
