Wayne Osmond, who lent a strong baritone voice to the harmonious pop group that became known as The Osmond Brothers and then The Osmonds, has died. He was 73.

Osmond died Wednesday evening in a Salt Lake City hospital after suffering “a massive stroke,” his brother Merrill Osmond said.

“I have never known a man who had more humility. A man without any guile. “A person who was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met,” he wrote on Facebook.

“His legacy of faith, music, love and laughter has touched the lives of many people around the world,” his family added in a statement. “He wants everyone to know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true, that families are forever, and that banana splits are the best dessert. “We love him and will miss him dearly.”

Born on August 28, 1951 in Ogden, Utah, Melvin Wayne Osmond – he was the fourth of nine children – sang with his older brother Alan and younger brothers Merrill and Jay in a barbershop quartet that performed for their Church of Parish in 1958 Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The foursome was soon seen on ABC The Lawrence Welk Show and becoming regulars on NBC The Andy Williams Showwith two other brothers, Donny and Jimmy, eventually coming on board.

The Osmonds reached the height of their fame in the 1970s, when they scored a major hit with the single “One Bad Apple”, which spent five weeks at number 1 on the Billboard 100 starting in February 1971 (the song was originally for the Jacksons thought). 5). They were also headliners The Osmond Brothers Special for CBS this year.

In 1972, the brothers appeared in animated form on a Saturday morning children’s show.

Of course, Donny Osmond and his sister Marie Osmond appeared together on their own ABC variety show in the 1970s. Donny & Marie.

Wayne Osmond, who had five children with his wife Kathlyn, has had some health problems over the years. He underwent surgery for a brain tumor in 1997, suffered a stroke in 2012 and was treated for cancer. He is the first of the Osmond siblings to die.