Marie Osmond on finding solace in music: I'll stop working when I die
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Marie Osmond may have enjoyed a lasting music career, but she didn’t always feel confident about herself.
“When I was 15, a producer told me I was an embarrassment to my family and that I needed to keep food out of my fat face; that 260 people could lose their jobs because I was getting fat and ugly,” the 57-year-old revealed during a recent appearance during “Conversations With Norm Q&A” with columnist Norm Clarke in Las Vegas.
“I was working 18-hour days six or seven days a week, and when I wasn’t doing shows, I was in the recording studio,” she added. “My life was pretty much mapped out for me 24/7.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Despite her blossoming career, Osmond was troubled by her personal life. At age 25, she divorced her first husband and found herself struggling as a single parent.
“I had a child, I was a single mother, and I didn’t know if I could feed [my son] or pay my rent,” she said. “I realized I was now emotionally damaged enough to genuinely sing country music!”
But Osmond’s woes didn’t end there. In 2011, her son Michael committed suicide at age 18 after a lifelong battle with depression.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“If I didn’t have my faith in God, I don’t know how I could survive,” she told ET in 2014. “There’s not a day that goes by where you know, people say, ‘Does it get easier?’ No. Does God give you respite? Absolutely… it’s a month of great reflection, love. He’s still a very big part of my family.”
The mother of eight admitted there were times when she didn’t have a will to live.
“Five times I almost drove my car off a cliff because I truly believed everyone would be better off without me, [but] I’m a fighter,” she said. “[I’m] in a good place now… [being a mother] is the greatest job I’ve had. I’m so proud of my children. I’m so in love with them all.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Osmond continues to find solace in music and performing for her fans, which is why she has zero plans to slow down anytime soon.
“[I’ll stop working] when I die!” she said. “In 50 years, people aren’t going to know who I am, but my children will and my grandchildren will, and that’s what’s important."