Introduction:
After more than six decades in the spotlight, Donny Osmond has proven he belongs among the greats. He has ruled the charts, starred on Broadway, dominated television, and conquered Las Vegas. Yet at 65, this entertainer declares he’s far from done. Retirement? Not on his radar—at least not until he eclipses a benchmark set by none other than Elvis Presley.
“I love what I do. I love being on stage—it’s my drug of choice,” Osmond told the Evening Standard ahead of his UK tour this December. “I can see the end of the tunnel. But it’s definitely not near—I’ve still got a lot I want to achieve. One goal: 68 albums. Then I’ll beat Elvis.”
It’s audacious—and he’s not far off. His 65th album, Start Again, arrived in 2021, and he’s already working on the next one. While still in early development, he promises fans “something truly unique with a very cool concept.”
A Personal Elvis Link
His ambition to surpass the “King of Rock ’n’ Roll” isn’t just about numbers—it’s personal. His mother, Olive Osmond, shared a warm friendship with Presley, serving as his confidant during his meteoric rise.
“She was almost like a surrogate mum to him,” Donny recalls with a grin. “He used to call our house just to talk to my mum. One day, my brother Jay picks up the phone, and a voice goes (doing Elvis impersonation): ‘Is your mother there?’ Jay goes, ‘Yeah — who’s calling?’ The voice says, ‘This is Elvis.’ Jay didn’t connect the dots—he yells, ‘Hey Mom, some guy named Elvis is on the phone!’”
Donny laughs at the memory. “We cracked up when my mum told me that. Jay had absolutely no idea it was Elvis.”
Bringing Las Vegas to London
This December, Osmond is taking his extravagant Las Vegas residency across the pond for a UK run—culminating in two nights at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. It’s his first UK tour since 2017, and he vows it will be the biggest, boldest production of his career yet.
“This show includes everything I’ve done—and trust me, that’s a lot,” he teases. Fans can expect a sweeping retrospective: from his early days with the Osmonds, to chart-topping duets with his sister Marie, to Broadway triumphs, solo classics, and more.
One highlight: a 15-minute live audience request segment. No teleprompters, no cues—just spontaneous performance. For the UK shows, he plans to expand that section, giving longtime fans the chance to relive the soundtrack of their lives.
A Family Man First
Behind the glitz of a nearly nightly Las Vegas schedule, Osmond never forgets what matters most: family. Married to his wife Debbie for 45 years, the couple are proud parents of five grown sons and grandparents to 12.
Debbie will join him on the UK tour—a detail he says makes the experience all the more meaningful. “Family means everything to me,” Osmond reflects. “Between curtain calls, I cherish being a grandpa.”
That role has brought unexpected delights—especially since his 2019 turn on The Masked Singer as “The Peacock.” “One of my grandsons, Truman, still calls me ‘the Peacock’,” Osmond laughs. “He won’t say Grandpa or anything else. Just, ‘Hey, Peacock!’ I guess I’ll be the Peacock for life—and that’s just fine by me.”
The Road Ahead
For a man whose career began in childhood, Osmond still radiates the excitement of a newcomer. His upcoming UK shows feel less like a goodbye and more like a celebration of endurance, reinvention, and the deep bond he shares with his fans.
“I love taking people on a journey,” he says. “That’s why I do this. That’s why I can’t stop yet.”
And retirement? Donny Osmond won’t even consider it until he tops Elvis’s record. With three more albums to go, fans can rest easy: the journey is far from over.