The second-oldest member of the popular 1970s family band "Osmonds" died Wednesday at age 73 in Salt Lake City, his family announced Thursday.
"My dear brother Wayne passed away peacefully last night from a stroke," Donny Osmond, 67, posted on Instagram. "I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to visit him in the hospital before he passed."
"Wayne brought so much light, laughter and love to everyone who knew him, especially me," Donny Osmond said about his older brother. "He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone."
Wayne Osmond "passed away peacefully last night surrounded by his loving wife [Kathy] and five children," daughter Amy Cook said in a post on Facebook.
"His legacy of faith, music, love and laughter have influenced the lives of many people around the world," Cook said. "He would want everyone to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that families are forever and that banana splits are the best dessert."She said she is "so grateful for the time I was able to spend with him. I am grateful for the incredible memories. I am grateful for his strength, loyalty to our family, incredible talent and energy, and most of all, his love."
Merrill Osmond said he immediately drove to the hospital upon learning Wayne Osmond had suffered a stroke so that he could say goodbye to his older brother, People reported.
He called Wayne Osmond "an individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met."
Wayne Osmond was the Ogden, Utah, family band's lead guitarist and co-singer and helped the Osmonds become one of America's most popular recording acts in the early and mid-1970s.
He was the fourth-oldest of the nine-sibling Osmond family and began performing in the Ogden area at an early age as part of the family's barbershop quartet with his brothers Alan, Merrill and Jay. They also performed during weekly church services.
Wayne sang baritone and became a highly skilled guitar player while performing as the Osmond Brothers and later the Osmonds when younger brother Donny joined the band.
The Osmonds recorded several hits, including the number-one hit "One Bad Apple" in 1971, and prior to that were regular performers on The Andy Williams Show and The Jerry Lewis Show.
The Osmonds became good friends with their Jackson 5 contemporaries and continued churning out songs featuring a blend of R&B and pop music before venturing into a more rock-oriented sound after writing and performing original music.
The band also was successful in the United Kingdom and had a Saturday morning cartoon series that aired in 1972 and 1973.
The family is a member of the Mormon Church, which exempted them from missionary service due to their popularity and positive influence on people's perception of the religion.
Wayne married in 1973, and the band continued recording and performing without really settling on a particular sound.
Donny, sister Marie and youngest brother Jimmy became very successful solo artists, with the Osmonds band backing Donny on many of his solo hits.
The Osmonds band's success began to fade by 1976, but Donny and Marie became stars of the ABC-produced The Donny & Marie Show in 1977.
Donny and Marie continued recording hits while the show aired in 1977 and 1978, but the Osmonds band generally stopped recording and did not recover from the hiatus as a musical act.
