Donald Clark Osmond, the teenage heartthrob of the seventies, and the brother of famous entertainer, Marie Osmond, recently underwent surgery to treat a hemorrhagic polyp (otherwise known as a bleeding lesion) on his right vocal cord. The problem was discovered when Donny who is now 57 years of age was undergoing a physical exam.
The surgery was performed on Tuesday, 11 August 2015, in Boston, Massachusetts at the Massachusetts General Hospital by the renowned Dr. Steven M. Zeitel who has performed identical surgery for other celebrities such as John Mayer, Adele, Sam Smith and Lionel Richie. The procedure that Donny underwent is called suspension microlaryngoscopy surgery, and it is specifically designed for vocal cord hemorrhages. The procedure took an hour to complete, and for the following three weeks, he could not speak, sing, whistle, or even whisper as his vocal cord healed.
On the morning of the surgery, prior to the procedure, Donny posted a hospital picture on his Facebook page along with the following comments:
This morning is the big day for vocal cord surgery.
Normally I wouldn’t post a picture like this but the technology that Dr. Zeitels is using is so cool that I’m actually excited about this operation and wanted to share this moment with you. Weird, yes I know, but really cool nonetheless.
The recovery is going to be quite tough. Three weeks of absolutely no sound. Not even a whisper. I’m certainly going to have a lot of time on my hands to read the comments that you post. I can hardly wait to hear what you have to say.
Well… Here we go.
See you on the flip side.
D
PS. I don’t like these funny hats they make you wear in this place.
Donny Osmond has been in the entertainment business for over five decades. Not only is he known as a world-class entertainer with a highly successful solo career, as well as performing on stage with his sister Marie, he is also an actor, dancer, radio personality, talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid-1960s, he and four of his older brothers – Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay – were billed as the Osmonds and gained immense fame as they traveled the globe entertaining audiences. Donny became known for his signature hits such as “Puppy Love,” “Sweet and Innocent,” and “Go Away Little Girl.” In the early 1970s he launched his solo career and covered some of the same songs that had made him famous.
In 2014, he reached another milestone in his life when he released his 60th album which is appropriately titled “Soundtrack of My Life.” He commented, “It was so much fun getting to choose songs that have meant so much to me in my life.”
Having the necessary vocal cord surgery meant that he had to reschedule some September concert dates as he was unable to talk or sing for three weeks after the surgery. However, he began rehab on 1 September 2015, and he is expecting to be back on stage at the Flamingo in Las Vegas on 29 September performing in the Donny & Marie Las Vegas show for his loyal fans.
