This story was written before Matt Kelemen's untimely passing.
Donny Osmond probably wasn’t thinking he’d be a major headliner in Vegas when he was a kid in the ’70s performing in the city with his brother. He met Elvis Presley, but he wasn’t thinking he’d be Elvis one day. He probably didn’t predict he’d have 14 grandchildren, either, or that one of them would become part of his show in a high-tech segment that uses artificial intelligence.
It all just happened that way. Osmond has been on top of the pop music world and experienced career lows that would have permanently crushed the spirit of most performers, but every phase of his life transitioned to the next until his path led to Harrah’s Las Vegas and a show that he gives every ounce of energy to. Life presented him with a second act, and he did not take it for granted.
Osmond freely credits his family and especially wife Debbie for giving him the stability to succeed. In the ’70s, the Osmonds were one of the most famous families in the world, known for harmonies, good genes and great teeth. They were also among the most famous families in Utah with roots tracing back to 19th century Wales, where the Mormon faith had taken root.
“It was my great-great grandfather that came across,” says Osmond. “He wasn’t one of the pioneers or anything like that. Idaho and Wyoming were the places he settled. My dad was born in Wyoming and my mom was born in Idaho.”
Destiny brought George and Olive Osmond together. Donny was the seventh of nine children who would grow up to have a grandson that resembled him enough to serve as his younger self in a new part of the show.
In that sense, Osmond is a pioneer. “I had a conversation not so long ago with Penn Jillette,” says Osmond. “And he says, ‘I hate you.’ And I have a great relationship with Penn. ‘What did I do now?’ He said, ‘I have been trying to find a way to use this technology in my act, and you beat me to it!’”
Harrah’s Las Vegas. caesars.com
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