Isaac Brekken, Associated Press

OGDEN — Wayne Osmond, an Ogden native who garnered international fame alongside his siblings performing musically and in other media as The Osmonds, has died at 73, the family’s longtime publicist Ron Clark has confirmed to the Standard-Examiner.

Osmond suffered a massive stroke over the weekend, according to Clark, who said the former singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, actor and producer died Wednesday night while surrounded by family, including his wife, Kathlyn — a former Miss Davis County Fair and Miss Utah — and their five children.

“They had just had a family party on Saturday where they were all present and he was in a good mood, and feeling quite good and happy to be with his kids,” Clark said. “He took a turn for the worse, I guess, on Sunday.”

Performing initially in a quartet as the Osmond Brothers and, later, as The Osmonds with the addition of younger siblings, Wayne Osmond and brothers Alan, Merrill, Jay, Donny and Jimmy Osmond rose to prominence in the 1960s after appearing on “The Andy Williams Show.” They reached the pinnacle of their fame during the 1970s.

According to BBC Radio 1’s “The Official Charts,” the group sold more than 77 million records worldwide. Hit songs include “One Bad Apple,” “Yo-Yo,” “Down by the Lazy River,” “Crazy Horses” and “Love Me for a Reason.”

Kirsty Wigglesworth, Associated Press

Wayne Osmond primarily sang backup vocals and played instruments ranging from the guitar, drums and saxophone to the bagpipes and violin.

According to Clark, Wayne Osmond was “a very quiet and gentle person” who loved his family and his faith.

“He missed his wife something awful when we were gone. He loved his wife unconditionally,” Clark said. “He was a devoted family man; very, very devoted to them. He took family life over fame and fortune.”

He also had a special connection with the millions of people who bought his albums and attended his concerts.

“As far as the constant road traveling, the concert thing was concerned, he was one who really loved his fans as well. He appreciated every single one of them,” Clark said. “I think Wayne would stay behind and sign autographs when the others were getting on the bus or getting in a limousine to get to an airport. He felt very, very dedicated to the audience members that were seeking autographs and pictures. And he was a comedian; he had a wonderful sense of humor and ended up being kind of the front man for the group as far as humor was concerned. He was always interrupting the show with a thought or a joke or something and cracked the audience up. Very spontaneous. But he was a wonderful, wonderful man.”

Kirsty Wigglesworth, Associated Press

Multiple members of the Osmond family took to social media Thursday afternoon to share thoughts, including Merrill Osmond, who wrote, “My brother was a saint before he came into this world, and he will leave as an even greater saint than he came in. I’ve never known a man that had more humility. A man with absolute no guile. An individual that was quick to forgive and had the ability to show unconditional love to everyone he ever met.”

Said Clark: “He was very active in his faith and he loved his family before anything else. But, when it came to the business, he was dedicated to it. He knew what he had to do and what he could do. He felt very fortunate to be able to do it, especially with his brothers. They were golden for years and years. He’ll be greatly missed by the family and I’ll definitely miss him as a friend.”