The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Aaron Elvis Presley, who passed away at the age of 42 after suffering a heart attack, and the Osmonds had a very special relationship. He particularly had a special bond with the matriarch of the Osmond family, Olive Davis Osmond, as she reminded him of his own mother. Marie Osmond, who is now 59 years old and has been entertaining on stage since she was 4 years old, told Andy Cohen on his show, Watch What Happens Live, that Elvis loved her mom and called her all the time. She continued, “She reminded him very much of his mom. And so, you know, he would call and I’d kind of try to hear and [my mom] would try to shut the door. And we’d go to Vegas and there was always a room full of flowers, never for us, always for her. Honestly, I think the reason our family is more open with fans through meet-and-greets… is because of him, really. He got very lonely towards the end, he isolated himself a lot.”
Merrill Osmond
From the relationship that the Osmond family had with Elvis Presley to the life experiences that Justin Osmond has had as a deaf person, Justin and his father, Merrill Osmond, have teamed up to share some of their greatest life lessons through a new video podcast series called Sound Advice. If you have five minutes or less to be inspired and want to know more about America’s beloved family, the Osmonds, then Merril and Justin’s new video podcast series is for you. Each inspiring episode is comprised of photos, stories, and an important life lesson to help you on your own journey.
In an episode titled “Singing for Hearing: Why the Osmond Brothers Got Started,” we learn how the family decided to form a barbershop quartet comprised of brothers Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay to help raise money to buy hearing aids for their two older hearing-impaired brothers, Virl and Tom. Merrill comments, “We knew that we didn’t have any money to just go out and buy hearing aids, so we had to come up with some scenario in which we could make some money. And because we were little barber shoppers, we said, ‘Hey, let’s go out and sing a song.’ Some people threw change on the floor that we would go pick up during our performances. And anything we could find we put in a little fund to buy hearing aids for our brothers.” That action ultimately led to raising billions of dollars for children across the United States through what is now known as the Children’s Miracle Network.
Justin Osmond
In an episode titled “The King and Kindness,” we learn about the inspiring thing that Elvis Presley told the Osmonds backstage that touched Merrill Osmond’s heart. Merrill says, “Elvis Presley was like a second brother to us. He loved the brothers, he stood up for the brothers, he actually came out and said a lot of good things about the Osmonds.”
In an episode titled “Embracing Who You Are” we learn what Justin Osmond’s mother told him that helped him to accept himself for who he is. Justin explains, “When I was born, they didn’t have the newborn hearing screening. So for about two years, I lived in a world of complete silence. I’ve always felt socially awkward because of my deaf accent. I remember wishing I could sound normal, like everyone else.” Justin talks more about what it is like being deaf in a musical family in a new inspiring Ted Talk.
For the full list of Sound Advice episodes, visit KSL News Radio.
