In his seventh decade, Donny Osmond has a nightly show on the Las Vegas strip and is about to return to the UK stage for a turn in Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Bible-inspired musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
This would all come as a surprise to his childhood friend and fellow superstar Michael Jackson, whom Osmond remembers giving him some stark advice when his career hit the pits in the 1980s.
Osmond came to fame in the 1960s and early 1970s with his singing family of six brothers, one sister, while at the same time Jackson was the breakout star of his own family group, The Jackson Five. Both groups sold millions around the world, and Donny became a solo superstar.
However, following two decades of success, Donny Osmond could suddenly no longer get arrested. In an interview with The Times of London, he remembers asking Michael Jackson for advice. Jackson’s answer, according to Osmond was, “‘Change your name. It’s poison.’ He was right, but I never did.”
Osmond is now 66 and performs a show in Las Vegas during the week. Still going strong, he reflected his advice to any wannabe young star would be: “Don’t believe your own hype; take the trash out; do your own laundry. I did mine last night.”