Donny Osmond says wife Debbie brought 'stability' to 44-year marriage as he celebrates 65th birthday

Osmond became a teen music star in the early 70s at just 13 years of age. The success of his tracks 'Puppy Love' and 'Go Away Little Girl' made him a regular on the cover of Tiger Beat magazine and won him the love of teen girls all over the world. "I remember being chased a lot, mostly in England," Osmond said. "It was Osmondmania over there. Once we had to hide under a table in a restaurant because there were so many screaming fans rushing after us."

However, Osmond felt like something was missing from his life even though he was receiving plenty of attention. He claims that after one performance in Hawaii, he retreated to his family's condo, curled up into a ball, and cried uncontrollably. "My brother Jay walked in and said, 'Donny, what's wrong?' I said, 'I'm lonely,'" he recalled. He said, "You just had thousands of girls screaming your name. Why are you lonely?' I said, 'I don't know. I just need someone.'"

Osmond found exactly what he needed in Debbie shortly after. He posted two pictures on Facebook in 2015 explaining how he and Debbie met. The first picture was a throwback in which the couple was eating and smiling for the camera while seated across from one another. In the second picture, the pair appeared older, which was a 2015 recreation of the first. The musician first met his future wife at 15 when she was dating his brother Jay. 

Osmond said that his father, George, forbade him from dating Debbie because he thought it would harm his career, which is why he dated her in secret for 3 years until they got married in 1978. "By the time I was 19, I knew I was in love and had to do something right for me. When I told my dad, he said, 'Well, there goes your career, but this is ushering in your personal life'," he recalled.

When Donny's three-year tenure on 'Donny & Marie' came to an end in January 1979, his fans vanished as expected. In addition, the Osmonds were struggling after losing millions due to poor investments. The star said they crashed financially, adding, "It was the typical Hollywood story of having it all and then losing it all. So we had to rebuild." He was at one of his lowest periods in 1982 when 'Little Johnny Jones', his Broadway production, premiered and closed on the same night. Ten years later, when performing as the lead in 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' on tour, he was plagued by the anxiety of failing. 

Osmond recalls a paricularly difficult night, "Debbie said, 'Why don't you go out there tonight and do an average show?' It ended up being the best show I ever did because I gave myself an opportunity to make a mistake." The performance marked the start of his career as a versatile entertainer. With his wife by his side, 'The Masked Singer' star released 'Start Again,' his 65th album, in 2022. Osmond made the decision to prioritize his family because he understood that when his career came to an end,  those would be the people he would turn to.