Merrill Osmond
Merrill Davis Osmond (born April 30, 1953) is an American musician. He is best known for being the lead vocalist and bassist of the family music group The Osmonds and The Osmond Brothers, as well as an occasional solo artist.
Merrill Osmond
- Musician
- singer
1962–2023
6
Early life[edit]
Osmond was born in Ogden, Utah, the fifth of the nine children of Olive May (née Davis; 1925–2004) and George Virl Osmond (1917–2007).
Personal life[edit]
Merrill was the first of the performing Osmond siblings to marry. He wed Mary Carlson on September 17, 1973; they have four sons, two daughters, and 15 grandchildren. Merrill's second son, Justin, is deaf, as are Justin's uncles, Virl and Tom Osmond, Merrill's two oldest brothers. Justin Osmond works with several organizations and launched the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund in 2010. Merrill's youngest son, Troy, died in his sleep at age 33 on November 9, 2018 from an undiagnosed heart condition.
Like the rest of his family, Merrill is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[8] A statement of faith on his Web site expresses support for the Book of Mormon and the prophecies of Joseph Smith, as well as the church's compatibility with mainstream Christianity.[9] In keeping with church tradition, all his sons have served as missionaries.
In a 2021 interview with GB News, Osmond described himself as "very conservative" person. He expressed mixed feelings toward former President Donald Trump, noting that his experience with Trump was that Trump was a "nice guy" but that Osmond was never comfortable with the way Trump spoke.[10]
He and his wife are currently serving as missionaries for their church at the Washington, D.C. temple.[11]
Awards and honours[edit]
Merrill has been twice knighted, once by the Order of Saint Michael of the Wing and once by the Sovereign Military Order of the Temple of Jerusalem.[8] In May 2017, he received an honorary doctorate in humanities from Dixie State University, now known as Utah Tech University.