Merrill Osmond and wife Mary Carlson have been married for over five decades. Think about that for a second. In an industry where marriages often have the shelf life of a carton of milk, they’ve stayed together since 1973. It's actually kind of wild when you look at the chaos of the 1970s teen idol scene. Merrill was the lead singer of The Osmonds—the voice behind "One Bad Apple" and "Crazy Horses"—and he was the first of the performing brothers to tie the knot.
People were shocked.
His fan base was massive. Girls were literally fainting at his feet, yet he chose a quiet schoolteacher from American Fork, Utah. Honestly, it’s the kind of grounded choice that probably saved him from the typical child-star burnout. While the world saw him as a rock star, Mary saw him as Merrill.
How Merrill Osmond and Wife Mary Carlson First Met
Their story didn’t start on a movie set or at a glitzy awards show. It started in Utah, rooted in their shared faith as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mary Carlson was two years older than Merrill. She wasn't seeking the spotlight.
They got married on September 17, 1973, at the Salt Lake Temple. Merrill was only 20 years old. Mary was 22.
The wedding was a huge media event, even if they tried to keep it sacred. Press photos from that day show them leaving the temple, Merrill looking incredibly young with that classic 70s hair, and Mary in a traditional, modest white gown. It wasn't just a wedding; it was a statement. By marrying Mary, Merrill was signaling that his values mattered more than his image as a "single" heartthrob.
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Life Away From the Stage
You might think being married to a global superstar is all private jets and champagne. For Mary, it was mostly about holding down the fort. While Merrill was touring Europe or filming the Donny & Marie show (which he executive produced, by the way), Mary was raising their six children.
- Travis
- Justin
- Shane
- Heather
- Troy
- Sheila
Raising six kids is a full-time job. Doing it while your husband is the face of a musical dynasty? That's next-level. They faced real challenges, too. Their second son, Justin, was born with 90% hearing loss. This wasn't something they just "dealt with"—it became a family mission.
Justin eventually launched the Olive Osmond Perpetual Hearing Fund. Merrill and Mary have spent a huge chunk of their lives advocating for the deaf community, inspired by Justin and Merrill’s own older brothers, Virl and Tom, who were also born deaf.
The Heartbreak No Parent Should Face
If you want to know what keeps a couple like Merrill Osmond and wife Mary together, look at how they handled 2018. That was a brutal year. Their son, Troy Dean Osmond, passed away in his sleep at the age of 33.
It was a sudden, undiagnosed heart condition.
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Losing a child can break a marriage. It’s a statistical fact that the strain often leads to divorce. But for Merrill and Mary, their shared faith and 45 years of history at that point seemed to act as a buffer. They leaned into their community and their beliefs. Merrill has often spoken about the "divine connections" that keep families together during those "dark nights of the soul."
What They’re Doing Now (The Missionary Years)
In 2022, Merrill officially retired from the road. His final American show was in April 2022, followed by a final UK tour that ended in early 2023. Most 70-year-old rock stars would go buy a vineyard or sit by a pool in Vegas.
Not these two.
Basically, they decided to go back to work—but for their church. Merrill Osmond and wife Mary Carlson signed up to serve as missionaries at the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors’ Center. Imagine walking into a visitors' center and having the lead singer of "One Bad Apple" give you a tour.
Their son Justin posted on social media about how proud he was of them. It’s a pretty significant shift. They went from the bright lights of the West End and Las Vegas to a quiet, service-oriented life in D.C.
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Why Their Marriage Lasted
Most people get this wrong—they think the Osmonds had a "perfect" life. It wasn't. They dealt with massive financial ups and downs, health scares, and the loss of a son.
The secret? It's probably the fact that Mary never tried to be a celebrity. She stayed a "schoolteacher at heart." She provided the stability Merrill needed when the industry tried to chew him up.
Actionable Insights for Longevity and Legacy:
- Prioritize Shared Values: Whether it's faith, a hobby, or a specific life philosophy, Merrill and Mary’s marriage suggests that having a "North Star" outside of your career is vital.
- Service Over Self: Their move into missionary work in their 70s shows that staying active and outward-focused helps maintain a bond.
- Advocacy as a Family: Turning a personal challenge (like Justin’s hearing loss) into a public cause (The Hearing Fund UK) gives a family a unified purpose beyond just existing together.
- Boundaries with Fame: Keeping the "home life" and the "stage life" separate. Mary rarely did interviews. She kept her world private, which protected the kids from the harshest parts of the spotlight.
Merrill Osmond and wife Mary Carlson are currently living proof that the "teen idol" curse isn't a rule. It’s a choice. They chose each other in 1973, and by all accounts, they’re still choosing each other every day in 2026.
To learn more about the family's current projects, you can check out the official Merrill Osmond website or follow Justin Osmond’s work with the hearing impaired, which continues the family's long-standing philanthropic legacy.