Olive Osmond

Olive May Osmond (née Davis; May 4, 1925 – May 9, 2004) was the matriarch of the American Osmond singing family.

Olive Osmond
Born
Olive May Davis

(1925-05-04)May 4, 1925
Samaria, Idaho, U.S.
DiedMay 9, 2004(2004-05-09) (aged 79)
Provo, Utah, U.S.
Other namesMother Osmond
Spouse
​
(m. 1944)​
ChildrenVirl Osmond
Tom Osmond
Alan Osmond
Wayne Osmond
Merrill Osmond
Jay Osmond
Donny Osmond
Marie Osmond
Jimmy Osmond

Life and career

She was born in Malad City, Idaho, to Vera Ann (née Nichols) and Thomas Martin Davis. After high school, she moved to Ogden, Utah. She met George Osmond at Defense Depot Ogden where he stationed, and she worked as a secretary. They married on December 1, 1944. Both were devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Their first two children, Virl and Tom, were born with a degenerative condition which left them nearly deaf. Doctors warned the couple that future children had a higher chance of having hearing loss, but George and Olive wanted a large family. The other children, Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie, and Jimmy, were born able to hear.

George formed a barbershop quartet consisting of Alan, Wayne, Merrill, and Jay, and eventually got them booked at Disneyland, where the boys caught the attention of Walt Disney himself, and Andy Williams's father. From 1962 to 1971, the Osmond Brothers appeared on The Andy Williams Show. Donny made his debut on the program the day after his sixth birthday.

The brothers eventually left Williams and were regulars on the second incarnation of The Jerry Lewis Show (1967-1969) before launching a successful recording career. The siblings - including Donny, Marie, and Jimmy as solo artists - scored several hits, The Osmonds' biggest being "One Bad Apple", which climbed to #1. From 1976 to 1979, Donny and Marie hosted The Donny and Marie Show.

Marie played Olive in 1982's Side by Side: The True Story of the Osmond Family. 2001's Inside the Osmonds (produced by Jimmy) depicted the siblings' egos and their frustration at not being taken seriously as artists by the music industry, George's fiscal mismanagement, and the quest to establish a "new Hollywood" in Utah as leading to the family's downfall.

Olive died on Mother's Day, five days after her 79th birthday. The cause of death was listed as complications from a stroke she had suffered in 2001. Affectionately known by the family's fans as "Mother Osmond", she was survived by George (who died in 2007), their nine children, 55 grandchildren, and 22 great-grandchildren. Coincidentally, she shared her birthday with Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson family, who shared a friendly rivalry with the Osmonds in the 1970s.

Children

George and Olive Osmond had nine children:

References
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