Jimmy, 55, was taken to hospital after appearing in a panto in Birmingham. But brother Merrill, 65, has revealed that neither he nor Jimmy’s other brothers know how sick he is. “He’s hurting pretty bad but he’s getting better every day,” said Merrill. “He’s in the States but the doctors won’t even let the family in on it yet.
“The severity of it – none of us know.
It’s the way his family wants it.”
Merrill said his youngest brother – who hit No1 in 1972 with solo single Long Haired Lover From Liverpool aged nine – did not want visitors.
“Jimmy has been through a lot and he just wants to be all by himself right now,” he explained. “We’re all giving him that space. It’s just his wife and children with him right now.”
From a close Mormon family in Utah, The Osmonds – Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny and Jimmy – sold 100 million albums, with 1970s hits like Crazy Horses and Love Me For A Reason.
Only two of the brothers – Merrill and Jay, 64 – are still performing in the group. The eldest, Alan, 69, has multiple sclerosis and Wayne, 67, received treatment for a brain tumour in 1997.
Last year Merrill’s son Troy died in his sleep at 33. In 2010 sister Marie’s son Michael killed himself, aged 18.
Merrill, who suffers from Type 2 diabetes and anxiety, said: “It’s like someone’s trying to take us down.
“We have been through the losses of millions and millions of dollars and scams, we’ve had health issues.”
But he and Jay are still regularly performing and in May headline festivals in Manchester and Great Yarmouth.
Later this month, Merrill will be doing a solo gig at Butlins, Minehead.
“I don’t know if my number’s up yet, so I’m going to get out there and rock and roll,” he said. “We were raised with a military dad and when things go tough, you go tougher.
“There’s a real party at our shows. When Crazy Horses starts up the place goes wild. Fans don’t scream like they used to but they definitely scream.”