James Arthur Osmond (Jimmy), was born on 16 April 1963 in Canoga Park, California, and is the ninth and youngest child of the late Olive May Davis (1925-2004) and George Virl Osmond (1917-2007). His siblings are Virl, Tom, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, and Marie. He is the only sibling out of the nine not born in the famous family’s hometown of Ogden, Utah.
At the age of 55, Jimmy is not a stranger to the stage and the pressures of the entertainment world. He was only four years old when he made his debut on the Andy Williams Show and sang “Red Roses for a Blue Lady” with his brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay.
Jimmy’s most recent stage role was playing Captain Hook in a pantomime performance of Peter Pan at the Birmingham Hippodrome theater in Birmingham, England. BBC News reported that on Thursday evening, 27 December 2018, immediately following his performance, Jimmy was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed as having a stroke, according to a spokesperson. The spokesperson further stated that Jimmy “is grateful for all the well wishes and will be taking time out in the new year.” A representative on Jimmy’s behalf did not immediately respond to People for any further comment.
According to BBC News, Fiona Allan, Birmingham Hippodrome’s chief executive, said, “Everyone here at Birmingham Hippodrome has been deeply saddened to hear of Jimmy’s sudden illness. Jimmy loved being a part of the Hippodrome’s well-renowned panto, and his portrayal of Captain Hook was both dastardly and heartwarming.” She continued, “He won the adoration not just of our audiences, but also of all our staff — we all send Jimmy and his family very best wishes for a speedy recovery.”
Marie Osmond, Jimmy’s sister, took to social media and posted a message on Twitter asking fans to remember her brother in their prayers.
This is not Jimmy’s first episode with having a stroke. He suffered a stroke in 2004, telling Parade that it was “actually a transient ischemic attack that occurred due to a hole in my heart [a patent foramen ovale or PFO that doesn’t close as it should after birth].” He recalls, “A blood clot ‘popped’ in my head — not due to high blood pressure or high cholesterol. I went on stage and felt that ‘pop’ and then lost my vision, although I could see a little ‘pin’ spot. I thought it was a migraine and amazingly, I drove home.” He continued, “After diagnosis by an echocardiogram, I had the defect surgically repaired at the University of Utah. I did feel the aftereffects for 10 years and would sometimes get a numb feeling. I’m 100 percent now!”
Jimmy Osmond is a fighter and having survived a previous medical episode, with a little time and healing, there is no doubt that he will survive this episode as well.
