Donny Osmond shared a sweet anecdote from his late brother Wayne Osmond’s funeral in January, after the singer suffered a stroke
Donny Osmond opened up about the death of his older brother, Wayne Osmond, in a touching story shared to social media on Thursday. The legendary singer took to Instagram to recount the details of Wayne’s funeral, following his death on January 1, 2025. The former star died after suffering a stroke, marking the first of the iconic Osmond siblings to pass away. He was a member of their musical group, The Osmonds, alongside Alan, Merrill, Jay, and later Donny, Marie and Jimmy.
A touching tribute
In the clip, Donny spoke to an audience about his late brother and recounted Wayne’s final wish. “My brother Wayne hated funerals,” he began. “He said to his family, ‘When I die, I don’t want a funeral, I want a party. Please throw me a party.'” The singer went on to explain that Wayne’s children did organize a funeral for their father, as it was expected of them, though they felt guilty for ignoring his wishes.
“After the funeral, the hearse is traveling down the freeway to the grave site,” Donny added. “Earlier that day in Ogden, Utah, which is where he was buried, [someone was] having a party, and they released balloons in the air. These balloons came down on the freeway, and happened to be in the lane that the hearse was traveling in.”
He explained that the balloons got stuck in the rear bumper of the hearse after it drove over them. They did not pop and instead streamed behind the car on the way to the cemetery. “The hearse is traveling down the freeway with balloons on the bumper,” the father of five said. “And it gets better: The hearse pulls off the freeway, pulls into the grave site, and as it pulls in, the balloons release.”
In the Instagram caption, Donny simply wrote, “Wayne, I’ll be looking out for more balloons today. Happy birthday.” The late singer would’ve turned 74 on Thursday. Donny’s fans took to the comment section to exclaim over the sweet story, with one writing, “I guess Wayne ‘made’ his own party that day,” while another shared, “Beautiful story…I’ll bet Wayne was laughing, dancing and singing,” and a third added, “He got his wish. I love it.”
Saying goodbye
The “Puppy Love” crooner broke the sad news of Wayne’s death on social media in January, and opened up about their close bond. “My dear brother Wayne passed away peacefully last night from a stroke. I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to visit him in the hospital before he passed,” he began. “Wayne brought so much light, laughter, and love to everyone who knew him, especially me. He was the ultimate optimist and was loved by everyone.”
He added: “I’m sure I speak on behalf of every one of us siblings when I state that we were fortunate to have Wayne as a brother…I love you, Wayne. Your brother forever.” The late singer began a barbershop quartet with his older brother Alan and younger brothers Merrill and Jay in 1958. Donny and Marie joined the group before they were all discovered at Disneyland, and the family went on to become huge stars in the ’70s. Wayne married Kathlyn White in 1974, and they had five children together.