Marie Osmond’s son remembered at funeral in Provo, Utah, Mormon chapel as funny and witty

Utah funeral service held for Marie Osmond’s son

PROVO, Utah — Marie Osmond’s 18-year-old son was remembered at a funeral service Monday with fond words, laughter and music from his famous singing family.

Michael Bryan’s uncle, Donny Osmond, also appealed to God in an opening prayer.

“Bless my sister,” he said, breaking into tears. “Bless my sister and her family.”

Bryan was then memorialized by six of his seven siblings as a lighthearted person and a deep thinker who had a brilliant sense of humor and a kind, generous heart.

“He was a man of his word. He wasn’t a talker, he was a doer. He was reliable,” Bryan’s sister Rachel Blosil, 20, said, struggling to express herself through tears. “He knew my hopes, he knew my dreams, my secrets, things that nobody knows. He was my best friend.”

Police in Los Angeles have said Bryan died Feb. 26 from an apparent suicide after jumping from the eighth floor of the Metropolitan apartment building. An official cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy and toxicology tests.

Police said Bryan left a note but have provided no details about its contents.

One of five children adopted by Marie Osmond, Bryan previously used his adoptive father’s last name, Blosil. Records from Utah’s 4th District Court, however, show a judge had granted him an October 2009 petition for a legal name change.

Marie Osmond and Brian Blosil divorced in 2007 after two decades of marriage. She also has three other children from marriages to Blosil and first husband, Stephen Craig, whom she divorced in 1985.

In 2007, Marie Osmond said her son had entered a rehabilitation facility but did not disclose what he was being treated for.

About 450 mourners attended Monday’s services at a chapel near the Provo temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including church President Thomas S. Monson, who offered words of comfort to the family.

Bryan was a first-year student of apparel manufacturing at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and had planned on a career in retail marketing and design, according to a biography of his life read by the family’s Henderson, Nev.-based church bishop, Gary C. Milne.

The life sketch, a traditional part of Mormon funeral services, described Bryan as a hardworking, self-motivated person who loved sports, the arts, traveling and a good meal — from sushi to Peking duck and Italian pastas. An accomplished musician, Bryan played five instruments and wrote his own songs. He was also dedicated to service and since high school had been working with special needs children, Milne said.

In sharing their memories, Bryan’s siblings painted a portrait of a close-knit family, where laughter and music — along with whipped cream fights in the family kitchen and other games — were often present, with Bryan at the center of the fun, despite his sometimes quiet manner.

“He was an intricate part of our family,” said Stephen Craig, 26, the eldest of Marie Osmond’s children.” Each member of our family and every person here is better for having met him.”

In somewhat of a jest, each of Bryan’s siblings proclaimed themselves to be their brother’s favorite.

“My brother Michael loved me the most,” said 7-year-old Abigail Blosil, who drew laughter from the congregation as she launched the friendly, family competition. “My brother wrote a song about me that said I made him very happy. See, he did love me the most.”

In brief remarks, Marie Osmond expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of support and prayers she said she’s felt since Bryan’s death. Marie Osmond expressed pride in all of her children and acknowledged the presence of Bryan’s birth mother, “who gave me the greatest gift.”

“Thank you for those beautiful 18 years,” said Marie Osmond, who had not planned to speak at the service.

The service ended with a traditional Mormon hymn, sung sweetly by Marie Osmond and her famous brothers — Alan, Merrill, Jay, Wayne, Donny and Jimmy. The eldest Osmond brothers, Tom and Virl, who are deaf, accompanied the family by signing the words.

Bryan’s silver coffin was interred at the East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery in Provo. At the graveside, the family scrawled handwritten messages onto orange balloons before releasing them into the air.

(This version CORRECTS spellings of Merril and Virl in 15th graf.)