Donny Osmond called his older brother Alan his “protector” in an emotional tribute to the late musician.
Donny took to Instagram Tuesday and posted “one of the earliest pictures” of him and his brother, in which Alan held him as a baby.
“Even back then, you can see that he had his arm around me, watching over me. That’s who he was. My protector. My guide. The one who quietly carried so much responsibility so the rest of us could shine,” Donny wrote in the caption.
Donny ,72, credited the oldest member of The Osmonds clan — who died at 8:30 p.m. local time Monday at 76 — as a “leader in every sense of the word.”
“His tireless work helped build everything we became. I will always be grateful for the sacrifices he made and the love he showed — not just to me, but to every member of our family.”
“I owe him more than I can ever fully express. I love you, Alan. Thank you for always being there for me. Till we meet again, Brother Donny,” he concluded.
Alan’s cause of death has not been revealed, but he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987.
Their brother Merrill was the first to pay tribute to Alan via social media, writing that Alan had been struggling a few days before.
“I was blessed to sit quietly with him,” Merrill, 72, wrote on Facebook. “We talked as brothers do, heart to heart. He was struggling, but when I shared a joke or two, he found the strength to chuckle… and then he smiled.”
“My brother has now stepped into the presence of our Father in Heaven with honor and peace. His life was not measured in years, but in love, sacrifice, and purpose.”
Merril shared similar sentiments as Alan, calling their late brother a “missionary” and a “saint.”
Alan died with his wife of more than 50 years, Suzanne Pinegar, and their eight sons by his bedside, per KSL.
Alan rose to fame in the early ’60s alongside his brothers Merrill, Wayne and Jay when became regular performers on “The Andy Williams Show.”
By the ’70s, the group broke through as major pop stars when they scored their first number-one hit, “One Bad Apple,” which Alan helped write.
Alan and Pinegar tied the knot on July 16, 1974, at the Provo LDS Temple and the singer continued his career as they started a family.
Against Alan’s wishes, his battle with MS forced him to retire from live performing.
Alan is survived by his wife and his eight sons: Michael, Nathan, Doug, David, Scott, Jon, Alex and Tyler.
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