\n<\/p>\n
\n\tAlan Osmond, the vocalist, musician, and eldest brother in the classic Seventies family band the Osmonds<\/a>, died Monday, April 20. He was 76.<\/p>\n \n\tA spokesperson for the Osmond family confirmed Alan\u2019s death to ABC 4<\/a> in Salt Lake City. A cause of death was not given, though Alan was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987. The spokesperson said Alan was surrounded by his wife, Suzanne, and children when he died.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tOne of Alan\u2019s brothers and bandmates, Merrill, recalled the last conversation they shared in a tribute on Facebook. \u201cWe talked as brothers do, heart to heart,\u201d Merrill wrote<\/a>. \u201cHe was struggling, but when I shared a joke or two, he found the strength to chuckle\u2026 and then he smiled. In a tender moment I will never forget, he leaned close and whispered something into my ear. He said, \u2018Merrill, you and I worked side by side. We created, we produced, we directed\u2026 we gave our hearts to The Plan with Wayne<\/a>. Please\u2026 do something with it. Let people know what we were trying to say.\u2019 I want you to know, his request will be honored.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAlan, along with siblings, grew up members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ogden, Utah and cut their musical teeth singing in the church choir. In the late Fifties, Alan, along with brothers Merrill, Jay, and Wayne, formed a barbershop quartet, and the group found early work around Los Angeles, including gigs at Disneyland and a long-running stint on The Andy Williams Show<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tIn the mid-Sixties, the Osmonds welcomed younger brother Donny and transformed into a bubblegum pop band. In 1970, they scored a Number One hit with \u201cOne Bad Apple\u201d (a track originally written for the Jackson 5), kicking off an impressive run that saw them become one of the biggest groups of the 1970s \u2014 and a famously clean-cut, family friendly counterpoint to some of the headier, seedier, and sexier elements of pop culture at the time.<\/p>\n \n\tWhile Alan rarely sang lead vocals for the Osmonds, he was one of the band\u2019s creative leaders. Early on, the Osmonds frequently recorded other people\u2019s songs, but soon Alan and his brothers were co-writing much of their material, including hits like \u201cDown by the Lazy River,\u201d\u00a0\u201cCrazy Horses,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0and \u201cHold Her Tight.\u201d Alan also became one of the group\u2019s lead producers, helming several albums, including the Osmond\u2019s 1973 LP, The Plan<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n