Jimmy Osmond
| Jimmy Osmond | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Arthur Osmond April 16, 1963 Canoga Park, California, US |
| 💀Died | October 9, 2019 (aged 56) Birmingham, EnglandOctober 9, 2019 (aged 56) |
| 💼 Occupation | Solo singer, actor, businessman |
| 📆 Years active | 1967-2019 |
| 🏡 Home town | Ogden, Utah, US |
| 👩 Spouse(s) | Michelle Larson (m. 1992–2019) |
| 👶 Children | 4 |
| 👴 👵 Parent(s) | George Osmond Olive Osmond |
| 🌐 Website | Jimmy Osmond Official website |
James Arthur Osmond (April 16, 1963 - October 9, 2019) was an American singer, actor, and businessman. He was the youngest member of the sibling musical group the Osmonds. As a solo artist, Osmond had accumulated six gold records, one platinum record, and two gold albums.
Early life and family[edit]
![[icon]](/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2015) |
Osmond was born in Canoga Park, California, the ninth and youngest child of Olive May (née Davis; 1925–2004) and George Virl Osmond (1917–2007). His siblings are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, and Marie Osmond.[1] He is also the only Osmond of the nine not to have been born in the family's hometown of Ogden, Utah.
Growing up, Osmond was taught by tutors to accommodate his professional life.[1]
Career[edit]
He received his first gold record at age five for a song he recorded in Japanese, "My Little Darling". He was the first Osmond to achieve this.[clarification needed]
His recording of "Long Haired Lover from Liverpool" in 1972 resulted in The Guinness Book of World Records designating him the youngest performer to have a #1 single on the UK Singles Chart.[2] The song was credited to "Little Jimmy Osmond". In Japan, he had the moniker "Jimmy Boy."[3]
In 1978, Osmond starred in the feature film The Great Brain. He starred in other acting roles as well, including two episodes of the TV series Fame. He performed on stage and television often with his older siblings.
In 1985, he met Latino impresario Manuel Montoya at A&M Records, and this led to his only Spanish recording, "Siempre Tu". He toured Latin US markets, including Puerto Rico, Mexico, Venezuela and Chile.[citation needed]
The 2012 Osmonds album I Can't Get There Without You was performed with Jimmy Osmond on lead vocals; it was the first album to feature Jimmy as lead singer, as older brother Merrill Osmond historically held that role in the band. In live performances, Jimmy often serves as a co-lead singer with Merrill, a role previously held by Donny during the band's heyday in the early 1970s.
Jimmy Osmond is president of Osmond Entertainment. He has developed and supervised most of the Osmonds' merchandising business, as well as producing hundreds of hours of programming for networks including ABC, PBS, the BBC and the Disney Channel.
He has also featured in musical theater. Like his brother Donny many years earlier, he starred in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. He also starred in Boogie Nights in 2004 at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool. In 2005, Jimmy Osmond's American Jukebox Show toured the UK in 2005, again to the Grand Theatre in Blackpool. Co-stars of the show included Billy Pearce and Jimmy's brothers Jay and Wayne. From December 11, 2010, to January 2, 2011, he played Buttons in Cinderella at the White Rock Theatre in Hastings, and from December 16, 2011, to January 15, 2012, the role of Wishee Washee in Aladdin at Grand Theatre, Swansea and currently from December 1, 2017, to January 7, 2018 the role of Abanzar in Aladdin at His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen.
He has appeared on several UK TV shows, including the reality TV series I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! broadcast by ITV in 2005 (he finished in fourth place), a 2006 appearance on All Star Family Fortunes, a celebrity version of Come Dine with Me, Celebrity Family Fortunes, and Everybody Dance Now. In January 2010, Osmond participated in the British ITV1 celebrity reality television programme Popstar to Operastar. In 2016 Jimmy was a finalist on the UK version of Celebrity Masterchef.
In 2014, Osmond authored a semi-autobiographical children's picture book, Awesome Possum Family Band.
The same year, he took over the operations of the Andy Williams Moon River Theatre in Branson, Missouri, where he is now responsible for producing and booking shows.[4]
In 2015, Osmond was awarded an honorary doctorate of arts and humanities by Iowa Wesleyan University.[5] The first Osmond family member to receive that distinction, he delivered the keynote commencement speech on May 9, 2015.
In 2017 he played Abanzar in the pantomime Aladdin, at His Majestic's Theatre Aberdeen.
Personal life[edit]
Osmond married Michele Larson on June 7, 1991.[6] They had four children.
Like the rest of his family, Osmond was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
On December 27, 2018, following his performance as Captain Hook in the Birmingham Hippodrome's staging of the pantomime Peter Pan, Osmond was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with having had a stroke.[7] He had previously suffered a stroke in 2004 caused by a since-corrected patent foramen ovale.[8] He spoke publicly for the first time since the stroke in April 2019, stating that he was in good health and was taking a "long-overdue break" from show business for the time being.[9]
Illness and death[edit]
Unfortunately, Osmond died peacefully in the hospital several months later from a cardiac arrest on 9 October 2019 during the early hours. He was 56 years old. [10]
Recordings[edit]
Jimmy Osmond has earned six gold records.
Singles[edit]
| Year | Single Both sides from same album except where indicated |
Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | UK | |||
| 1971 | "If Santa Were My Daddy b/w "Silent Night" |
Non-album tracks | ||
| 1972 | "Long Haired Lover From Liverpool" / | 38 | 1 | Killer Joe |
| "Mother Of Mine" | 101 | |||
| "Tweedle Dee" b/w "Mama'd Know What To Do" |
59 | 4 | ||
| 1974 | "Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus" b/w "If Santa Were My Daddy" |
Non-album tracks | ||
| "I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door" b/w "Give Me A Good Old Mammy Song" |
11 | Little Arrows | ||
| "Little Arrows" b/w "Don't You Remember" |
54 | |||
| 1978 | "There from 'The Great Brain' (You're There)" b/w "Life Is Just What You Make It" (Non-album track) |
"The Great Brain" soundtrack | ||
| 1980 | "She Put The Light On" b/w "Uncertain" |
Kimi Wa Pretty | ||
Singles from other countries[edit]
- "My Little Darling" / "Peg O' My Heart" (Japan)
- "Chuk Chuk" / "Jimmy's Lullaby" (Japan)
- "Jingle Bells" / "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" (Japan)
- "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (Sweden)
- "Happy Robbers" / "I Found a Little Happiness" (Japan)
- "Goodbye Mr. Tears" / "Put Your Hand in the Hand"
- "Kimi Wa Pretty" / "Tokyo Savannah" (Japan)
- "Long Distance" / "After All" (Japan)
- "Living in Love" / "One More Chance" (Japan)
- "Siempre Tu" (Mexico)
- "Dos En Uno" (Mexico)
- "Otono Y Primavera" / "Tu Me Haces Falta" (Mexico)
- "Shine"
Albums[edit]
- Little Jimmy Osmond (Japan, 1972)
- Killer Joe (1972)
- Little Arrows (1975)
- Kimi Wa Pretty (Japan, 1981)
- Siempre Tu (in Spanish; Mexico, 1985)
- Keep The Fire Burnin’ (US 2000, UK 2001)
Soundtracks[edit]
- Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus (1974)
- The Great Brain (1978)
- Hugo The Hippo (1976)
- The Osmonds (animated TV series, 1972)
Movies[edit]
- The Great Brain (1978) based on the book by John D. Fitzgerald, portraying title character.
- Hugo the Hippo (1976), singer
Television[edit]
- The Osmonds (1972) – animated TV series
- Donny & Marie (1976–1979)
- Nichiyō Owarai Gekijyō (日曜お笑い劇場, lit. "Sunday Comedy Theater") (1981) - Nippon TV
- Fame (1982)
- E20) (1982)
- Inside the Osmonds (2001)
- We Are Family (2003)
- Branson Jubilee (2005)
- I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! (2005)
- All Star Family Fortunes (2006)
- Celebrity Come Dine with Me
- Never Mind The Buzzcocks (2011)
- Celebrity Bedlam (2012)
- Celebrity MasterChef (2016)
- Celebrity Antiques Road Trip (2016)
- Countdown (2017)
- A Christmas Chase: Celebrity Special (2017)
- Celebrity Pointess (UK game show) 2017
Books[edit]
- Osmond, Jimmy (2014). Awesome Possum Family Band. Illustrations by Bob Ostrom. Washington, DC: Regnery Kids. ISBN 9781621572114. LCCN 2014003306. OCLC 854611747. Search this book on
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Davis, Sharon (2012). Every Chart Topper Tells a Story: The Seventies. Random House. ISBN 9781780574103. Retrieved July 10, 2017. Search this book on
- ↑ "Record Breakers and Trivia : Singles : Artists : Age". Everyhit.com. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- ↑ "Jimmy Osmond suffers stroke after U.S. performance". 1 January 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
- ↑ "Jimmy Osmond Celebrates Anniversary by taking over Moon River Theatre". Branson Tri-Lakes News. March 11, 2014. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
- ↑ "Iowa Wesleyan College awards Jimmy Osmond Honorary Doctorate". May 9, 2015.
- ↑ "James A. Osmond". IMDb. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
- ↑ "Jimmy Osmond treated for stroke". BBC. December 31, 2018. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
- ↑ "Performer and Entrepreneur Jimmy Osmond, the Ninth Possum, On Getting Healthy Fur-real". Parade. January 30, 2015. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
- ↑ "Jimmy Osmond on Instagram: "Thank you for all of the birthday wishes today I had a great time out with my family. I am enjoying life and this long-overdue break. I…"". Instagram. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqwHO3lH44g Singer Jimmy Osmond dies aged 56 in hospital from cardiac arrest
External links[edit]
- Jimmy Osmond Official website
- Jimmy Osmond on IMDb
- Jimmy Osmond at the Official site of the Osmond Family
- Jimmy Osmond on Twitter
- Jimmy Osmond's profile for the ITV reality show I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/506827-Little-Jimmy-Osmond
- 1963 births
- 2019 deaths
- American Latter Day Saints
- American pop singers
- American male singers
- Latter Day Saints from California
- Latter Day Saints from Utah
- Popstar to Operastar contestants
- American trumpeters
- American male trumpeters
- American child singers
- The Osmonds members
- Osmond family (show business)
- 21st-century trumpeters
- 21st-century male musicians
