Marie and Donny Osmond Pay Tribute to Their Dad

Marie Osmond's dad, George Osmond, died Tuesday, November 6, at age 90, at his home in Utah. It was reported by the youngest son, Jimmy, that his father had a great day, and was in good spirits at the time of his death. Though he had not been ill, he was very frail, and died of natural causes. Marie, a strong contender on ABC's "Dancing With the Stars", missed the Tuesday night results show, in order to be with her family. But she will not be hanging up her dance shoes yet. She will continue with the competition as a tribute to her dad, and will also reunite with over 100 Osmond family members on the Oprah show this Friday. She and her brother Donny, will perform the theme song from their variety program, "The Donny and Marie Show." The Osmonds desire to celebrate his wonderful life and legacy. The show was originally scheduled to celebrate the Osmond's 50th anniversary in show business, and their father was also scheduled to appear.

Marie had dedicated her performance on Monday night to her parents. She told the story of how, in the early years, the couple had very little money, and danced together to earn money. Her big brother, Donny, watched from the audience, and gave her a kiss on the cheek when the dance ended. Marie and her partner, Jonathan Roberts, earned a score of 28 out of a possible 30 for the WWII theme quickstep.

George Osmond was the patriarch of the Osmond family. Both George and his wife, Olive, were talented musicians. George had a baritone voice, and Olive played the saxophone. They were the parents of nine children. George gave up his own career in real estate and insurance sales, to manage his children's singing careers. The Osmond Brothers got their start on The Andy Williams show. They had a barbershop quartet sound that thrilled audiences. Donny Osmond joined his brothers, Alan, Wayne, Merril and Jay, when he was only 6 years old. Later, Donny and Marie hosted their own variety show. The family grew to include 55 grandchildren and 48 great-grandchildren. Olive passed away in 2004, from complications of a massive stroke, that occured over 2 years earlier.

George was a World War II veteran, and as a Mormon, served missions in Hawaii and the United Kingdom. He and his wife started the Osmond Foundation, which later became the Children's Miracle Network, a nonprofit organization involved in raising funds for children's hospitals.

George loved to sing, and taught his children to sing their famous barbershop harmony. They performed at church functions and community events, and were well received. He arranged for his sons to perform at Disneyland in California, and the performance caught the eye of Walt Disney himself, who became a mentor. George moved his family to California to be in the entertainment industry. He loved all of his children equally, and taught them the importance of family and faith. His legacy will be an enduring one, as a new generation of talented Osmonds entertain us.

Sources: http://gulfcoast.cox.net/cci/entertainmentnews/national?_mode=view&_state=maximized&view=article&id=D8SP1FV80&_action=validatearticle
http://collectdolls.about.com/b/a/084926.htm
http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/sns-ap-obit-osmond,0,4541830.story
http://www.lolpeople.org/reporting/george-osmond-father-to-the-osmond-family-died-90-years-old/
http://news.yahoo.com/s/eonline/20071106/en_tv_eo/f09131f7_c9b749c4_af10_2697c0d92602