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Alan Osmond: Endure to the End — Faith, Family, and the Spirit of Christmas
For decades, the Osmond name has meant harmony, energy, and family values. But behind the bright lights and catchy melodies stands a quieter story of courage — one embodied by Alan Osmond, the oldest performing member of the famous Osmond Brothers and the man his siblings still call their leader.
On a special Christmas reunion, Alan returned to the stage with Donny and Marie, not as a star seeking applause, but as a brother sharing gratitude, memories, and a powerful message: endure to the end.
The Leader Who Cracked the Whip
Among the many Osmond siblings, Alan was the one who set the pace.
“You were the leader of it all,” Donny told him. “We looked to you as our boss.”
Though two older brothers, Virl and Tom, were part of the family, they were deaf and never performed. That made Alan the eldest of the performing Osmonds — the one who pushed his brothers to rehearse, improve, and believe that a group of kids from Utah could make it in show business.
Even now, Alan humbly laughs it off.
“You guys are taking over,” he joked. “I watch every one of your shows.”
A Ring With a Message
During the reunion, Marie surprised Alan and Donny with a gift from the family: a special ring designed by her son Douglas. On it were the letters E.T.E.
“It stands for Endure to the End,” Alan explained. “In our lives, we go through a lot of challenges. When we started in entertainment, they said we’d never make it. But what did we do? We endured.”
For Alan, the ring isn’t just jewelry — it’s a philosophy for the next generation.
“We’re in a time when you choose good things, you hang in there, and you endure.”
Those words carry extra weight, because Alan knows what real endurance means.
“I May Have MS, But MS Does Not Have Me”
Years ago, Alan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a disease that slowly affects the nervous system. For a man who had spent his life dancing, performing, and leading from the front, it was a devastating blow.
“I may have MS,” Alan said firmly, “but MS does not have me.”
The disease forced him to wear a brace on his leg and eventually step back from performing in Branson with his brothers. But even as his body weakened, his spirit never did.
“I look at MS like a problem to solve,” he said. “It’s not the disease that gets you down. It’s the lack of hope.”
Hope, for Alan, comes from faith, prayer, and family.
He once told doctors that he didn’t always rely on medicine alone.
“Prayer is in my family,” he said. “Support has made us stronger and made me better.”
Even doctors agreed that faith and belief can make a real difference.
“That’s what we want you to talk about,” they told him.
For Alan, the message is simple: never lose hope.
Family: The Strength That Keeps Him Standing
When MS began to affect his performance, Alan feared he could no longer keep up with his brothers on stage. But instead of leaving him behind, they changed everything.
“They said, ‘Alan, we’re not going on without you.’”
So the choreography was rewritten. Moves were adjusted so Alan could lift with his stronger side. The show became a family effort — not to hide weakness, but to honor loyalty.
“I’m telling you,” Alan said, “without family, I wouldn’t have made it. But I’m here today.”
Christmas, Memories, and a U-Haul Full of Love
Ask Alan about Christmas, and his face lights up.
One memory stands above the rest: a year when the growing Osmond family had become too big for any living room. Instead of gifts under the tree, there was a sign: Follow the arrows.
The family followed them outside — to a huge U-Haul truck and then to a big barn, transformed with lights, trees, and piles of presents.
“Santa had dropped all the bags there,” Alan laughed. “We had the best Christmas.”
For the Osmonds, Christmas was never about what fit under the tree — it was about finding room for everyone.
Still Creating: Stories for the Next Generation
Even after stepping away from performing, Alan never stopped creating. Along with his wife Suzanne, he began writing children’s books that continue classic fairy tales in modern ways.
“What ever happened to the Three Bears?” he asked.
“What ever happened to Cinderella?”
Their series, “Twice Upon a Time,” imagines Goldilocks as a grown-up policewoman and Cinderella as a mother whose son races in track shoes instead of glass slippers.
“They all grew up,” Alan said. “There’s more to the story.”
It’s fitting — because Alan’s own life proves that the story never ends. It just changes chapters.
A Legacy in the Next Generation
Alan proudly introduced his sons — Michael, Nathan, Scott, and John — part of the Osmond second generation. In total, he has eight sons, with some serving missions around the world.
And now, he’s a grandfather too.
“It takes a real man to have a girl,” one son joked, celebrating the family’s first granddaughter.
The laughter, teasing, and warmth on stage made one thing clear: the Osmond legacy isn’t just music. It’s love.
Endure to the End
Alan Osmond may no longer lead from center stage, but his influence is everywhere — in his brothers’ careers, in his children’s lives, and in the simple message he shares with anyone who listens.
“Hang in there. Endure. And have prayer in your life.”
Through illness, change, and time, Alan remains what he has always been:
the steady heart of a remarkable family.
And as the ring on his finger reminds him every day — when life gets hard, you don’t quit.
You endure to the end.