Two of Utah’s leading exports — singing stars Donny and Marie Osmond — will wrap up their long run at the Flamingo in Las Vegas in 2019.
“Next year is our final year,” Donny Osmond announced on a Las Vegas TV talk show recently. “We’ve been talking about it for a long time. But, definitely, our countdown has started. It was supposed to be six weeks at the Flamingo. It will be 11 years, and it will be the end.”
The final show, according to the siblings’ Flamingo website, will be Nov. 16, 2019.
Donny and Marie started their run at the Flamingo in 2008, and their popularity was such that the original six-week run kept getting extended.
“It’s pure variety and that was our challenge,” Donny Osmond told The Salt Lake Tribune in 2008. “Marie does opera, country and of course I’ll do the rock, and we’ll play on that ‘little bit of country, little bit of rock ’n’ roll’ thing.”
Donny, who turns 61 in December, and Marie, who turned 59 earlier this month, were born in Ogden and have been entertainment staples for decades. They also have been unofficial ambassadors of their faith, as lifelong members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Donny made his TV debut in 1963, at age 5, singing “You Are My Sunshine,” when his four older brothers performed on “The Andy Williams Show.” Marie was 4 when she appeared on the show with her brothers.
In the early 1970s, Donny gained fame as a teen idol with hit singles like “Go Away Little Girl” and “Puppy Love.” Marie scored a country hit with “Paper Roses” in 1973. But it was their ABC variety show, “Donny & Marie,” from 1976 to 1979, that cemented their musical partnership. They later hosted a syndicated talk show from 1998 to 2000.
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