When you reach a level of fame where you can no longer leave your house without an entourage of security guards, it’s hard to find other people who can relate to you. For global superstar Michael Jackson, his fame became very isolating. However, he did have one friend who understood his crazy childhood and life.
In the past, pop star Donny Osmond has discussed his close friendship with Jackson, explaining that their parallel rise to fame at a young age helped them relate to one another. In case you’re unfamiliar with Osmond, he also became famous singing with his brothers when he was five -years-old. The Osmonds were a pop phenomenon in the ‘70s and were often pitted against The Jacksons, because their family groups were so similar.
In the new Paramount+ documentary “Larger than Life: Reign of the Boybands,” Osmond notes, “If you look at the Osmonds and the Jackson 5, the comparisons of the two families are just uncanny.”
“There are nine children in each family. Mike and I are both the seventh child of nine,” Osmond said. “Our mothers’ birthdays are on the same day. Michael and I are the same age.”
The “Soldier of Love” singer also expressed how important his family’s support was as he dealt with the perils of being young and famous, hinting that the King of Pop may have divulged details about Jackson patriarch Joe’s parenting style.
“Mike would tell me a lot of stories about Joe,” he said. “You look at the dangers of show business in general, whether you’re a single artist or a boyband, I don’t know if I could have been able to survive show business if I didn’t have my family.”
Osmond revealed that the “Thriller” artist even told him that he was the only one who truly understood his chaotic life, saying, “Donnie, you’re the only person on this planet that knows what my childhood is like.”
Osmond lamented that he couldn’t help his troubled friend, recalling a time when he tried to get Jackson to slow down and come spend time with his family.
“I said come here, the kids can hang out with my kids, go swimming,” Osmond said. “I said he needed proper family time. He said ‘I would like that’, but he didn’t come. He made some bad choices.”
It’s nice to know that Jackson had at least one person he could be himself with. Sadly, we’re stuck wondering what if he had gone to visit Osmond? Would that have made a difference?
“Larger than Life: Reign of the Boybands” is now streaming on Paramount+.