Alan Osmond, oldest brother in family music group The Osmonds, dies at 76

Pop Culture NewsAlan Osmond, oldest brother in family music group The Osmonds, dies at 76 Before there was "Donny & Marie," there were The Osmonds, a boy band with brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Alan Osmond performs during a taping of the Osmonds 50th anniversary show in Las Vegas in 2007. Isaac Brekken / AP fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 21, 2026, 11:07 AM EDT / Updated April 21, 2026, 11:22 AM EDTBy David K. Li and Samantha CookinhamAlan Osmond, oldest member of the famed family singing group The Osmonds, has died, leaving a legacy of having "quietly carried so much responsibility so the rest of us could shine," his loved ones said on Tuesday.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.The 76-year-old's cause of death was not immediately disclosed.Donny Osmond, the most famous of the siblings along with sister Marie, posted a black-and-white picture of his older brother and told fans that Alan was the family's rock."Even back then, you can see that he had his arm around me, watching over me. That’s who he was. My protector. My guide," Donny Osmond, 68, said in a statement."The one who quietly carried so much responsibility so the rest of us could shine. Alan was our leader in every sense of the word. His tireless work helped build everything we became."The "Donny & Marie" variety hour became one of the biggest TV shows of its time, airing on ABC between 1976 and 1979.But before “Donny & Marie,” there was The Osmonds, a boy band consisting of brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill and Jay who sang barbershop quartet.The Osmonds, from left, Merrill, Alan, Jay, Wayne and Donny, perform on the Andy Williams Show in 1966.Gerald Smith / NBCYounger brothers Donny and Jimmy later joined the group. Their only sister, Marie, launched her own solo career before she and Donny joined forces for "Donny & Marie." Older brothers George Virl Osmond Jr. and...