Marie Osmond Talks to Oprah About Son's Suicide: 'I Knew Something Was Wrong'

By PopEater Staff Posted Nov 11th 2010 04:52PM

Nearly nine months after her son's tragic death by suicide, Marie Osmond is finally opening up about her loss. Osmond's 18-year-old son, Michael Blosil, took his own life by jumping off a Los Angeles apartment building in February. The singer, who adopted Michael with ex-husband Brian Blosil, told Oprah of the tragedy, "I've been through some tough things in my life [but] this is probably the hardest thing I've been through."

Osmond admitted to understanding her son's plight, having suffered from post-partum depression herself. One of their last conversations was telling, she says. "When I heard him say to me 'I have no friends,' it brought back when I went through depression," she said. "Because you really feel so alone."

"I said, 'Mike, I'm going to be there Monday, and it's going to be OK,' but depression doesn't wail til Monday."

Osmond painfully recalled the night that Michael died, starting with a phone call from him just as she was going on stage during her Vegas show. She said that she was going through a costume change when her phone rang. "I couldn't get to it," she admitted. Later when she called him back, he didn't pick up.

"I believe in female intuition. I especially believe in mother's intuition. I knew something was wrong."

She asked her daughter to stay with her that night in the hotel and at 2 AM the phone rang. On the other line was a security guard from her gated community. "[He] said 'there are some people here to see you. It's the police I believe' ... He said, 'well it's the coroner's office.'"

"I knew it was Michael," she said with tears streaming.

According to the police report, the time of death was around 9:30 PM. Osmond told Oprah that he called her about 45 minutes before that. "You know some particulars are so in stone, other things are just like this wave that comes in and out of your heart. I've been through some tough times in my life, Oprah. This is probably the hardest thing I've ever been through."

When asked by Oprah if she thought things would have been different if she had just spoken to Michael when he called, Osmond responded by saying, "I think if you live in 'what ifs,' you stop living."

While many media outlets have reported that Michael's suicide stemmed from the conflict between his Mormon upbringing and his reported homosexuality, Osmond denied these claims. "My son was not gay," she said. "And it wouldn't matter if he was."

She added, "I know I'll see him again because of what I believe."

She told Oprah that Blosil started abusing drugs when he was 12 and took several trips to rehab, however, she disputed any notion that narcotics played a role in his death.

"My son was clean when he jumped," she said of the teen, who was a student at L.A.'s Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. "There were no drugs in his system, but I believe that the ramifications of them were there. That was the hard part."

Blosil left a suicide note, and Osmond did her best to summarize it: "He basically said he knew that morning was the last time he would get up and brush his teeth, make his bed, those kinds of things. He had made his decision, I guess. And uh, [he wrote] that he loved his family ... The pain was so intense."

Osmond also confirmed rumors that her son had attempted suicide while she was competing on 'Dancing With the Stars' in 2007. "During that time I was going through a very public divorce. Going through custody battles ... and he received some news that something had happened to some of his family members ... and he couldn't deal with it. He promised he would never do it again."

Tags: Marie Osmond

Comments

(312)

Thursday 11 November

By Linda

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The way you worded your feelings, naturally, upset people.

I feel horrible for Marie but I have to admit; 1) I wish she hadn't done an interview about it making it so public and it
upset me that 2) she'd read his suicide note on the air.

I am so empathetic toward her and the sad situation. I feel
sad for the young man.

By Lynda

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Mike, My 24 year old son took his life 2 years ago. His father was killed in an industrial accident when he was just 8. I know that I wasn't the best mother he could have had. I was devastated and parented in a fog for several years.
Unlike Marie, I know that I have a lot of responsibility in his permanent decision. I didn't recognize the signs and I don't know what I would have done if I had. I deserve the pain and the loss. He deserved a loving, more observant mother.
I have two daughters with young children and I have determined that the rest of my life on this earth will be spent showing each of them how important they are and how much I love them. I know that my regrets won't change anything for my dear son, but, hopefully they'll remind me of what's really important in life and I won't leave it having created anymore.

By Sedona Nightshadow

Ms. Donna LaBarge, Mike is a heartless bastard! But you can't reason with ignorant idiots like Mike because he's too damn ignorant to understand the event that Marie Osmond and many other parents go through when the child does this very thing that many parents feel after such death occurs.

Mike, if you have a child/children, pray they don't do what Marie's son did.

If you don't have a child - get snipped! NOW! You don't deserve to be amongst the rank of being a parents. You'd fail.

By lo

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not only do i agree with you, but i couldn't help noticing her new, full lips, she's obviously had them done. this is what one does after the suicide of a child? get lip enhancement? gimme a break.....

By Ross

Mike, Donna is calling it as she sees it.. just like you! Get over yourself.

By Lora

This boys personal pain and demons were obviously ongoing. You can't watch someone every moment of their lives. No matter how much you love someone you can't jump every time they stumble and you can't know that this time, out of all of the other times they've cried out for help, is the time that they will make an ultimate, tragic decision. Should any parent stop living so they can always have eyes on one child..especially an adult child? She has other children and she has the right to have a career. She could not have known that the call she received that night would be his last call. If she had, she would have taken the call, left the show and run to him. We do the best we can in this life and some of our decisions have incredibly painful results. She didn't know that this night was unlike probably hundreds of others that he had been through and to blame her for a deed that she had no control over is most unkind.

By Roseann

Honestly Mike, people as stupid as you, really shouldn't attempt to post public messages. Your lack of education shows with the misspelled words that you put forth, and obviously are reflected in what you write. Try to remain as quiet as possible, so that attention isn't being brought to what a fool you are.R

By reevesvickil

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your a idiot

By Mike

Yes, Roseanne I'm concerned of my spelling, here's a quarter, go buy a life lady. And maybe you should call Marie and see the LIP DR. she so obviosly had time for since her son took his life. I guess when you feel bad you go out and try to look like someone punched you in the mouth and hit your lip when, if you take the tiome to look at ANY of her pictures with her son, it is so OBVIOUS she had the time to get new lips. Sorry I don't feel as sorry for her as you do. I have had things in my life that have been even worse so don't cry me some river when you feel sorry for someone you don't even know and that would really give a damn if she knew you or not. It's not as if I do not like Ms. Osmond as I do not know her, but, with her resources and finances, she sure could have done much more than the normal person in that type situation, and she did not. Goin to Oprah and crying of it and then basically trying to show her talent by singing does nothing but self promote her,,,again. You believe what you want, I believe she does nothing but try to pretend she is still 25, which she is not close to, and self promote herself is her entire goal in life. Absolutly nothing more.

By Kathy

Hey Mike -- You said exactly what I was thinking. Marie sounds as though she was too self-centered to really be there for her son. And the fact that Marie chose to stay in a marriage to an abusive man, thereby forcing her kids to grow up in a dysfunctional home (lacking healthy relationships), tells me all I need to know. Marie should feel guilty ...for NOT taking time out of her busy life to provide Michael with whatever emotional support he needed.

By Julia

In reply to your first and second post:

You may well be a loving father who puts his kids first, but even you can be expected to make mistakes. Your children will make some big mistakes in life too. Part of being really loving is being able to forgive someone who has done or neglected to do something (especially unintentionally) that has terrible results. It's not a soft bleeding heart that forgives but a person of strength. I hope your sons never disappoint you.

Friday 12 November

By rierie

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I don't even know you, but I can tell that you are a terrible person. what gives the right to hurt someone like that

By LA

Hit it on the head mike

By mustangguy

mike, what a shame that you wrote something so heartless. There are very few that will even give you much credit for anything remotely good. I have a saying "never argue with an idiot or a guy named mike". Notice I typed your name in lower case letters, because you do not deserve the respect of anyone, anywhere. So right now you should take one step away from yourself and see just how much you are messed up. You need mental counseling help very badly. I hope it starts tomorrow.

Mike..... If you knew Ms. Osmond and you can back up all that you are accusing her of, fine, but you're still an idiot. You know what, go on top of your parents house, preferred the 2nd floor roof, and jump. Top of a cardboard box doesn't count! You're a waste. Really.

Saturday 13 November

By EJ

Mike, "Putting your son first" does not mean you can "ball and chain" them to you 24/7.....especially at the age of 18, they themselves would want privacy. He went to treatment for drugs, etc at an earlier age. Do you think anyone, parent or not, can be next to a child as they grow ALL day everyday/night? This was not as though he had a history of psychosis either, where you might put him in inpatient living arrangements. He was one of her adopted children, God bless them both. We, and Marie, do not know his genetic history that might have helped to predict a progressive course of something. For all anyone knows there may have been (probably likely....I have relatives who have studied genetics for decades) inherited tendencies for things that contributed to this. Apparently you are judging something you have never lived first hand. Even a parent cannot be their young, or full adult, child's caretaker full time. And he gave no indication he needed that anyway or she would have seen to it he had it. Until you have a son who is struggling with some kind of mental illness, and you have given up your work to oversee them full time since you seem to think that is reasonable, do not judge someone else.

By tereyesque

Losing a child is the most difficult thing in the world.

By kaea0903

I buried my daughter at six weeks of age. I was told by my endocrinologist that I should know that she died because I was unable to 'control' my blood sugars. I recently saw a cardiologist for my own health problems and was advised that there is no way my diabetes contributed to Kaelin's death. I have blamed myself and lived with this for way too many years. Be careful what you say or write to someone who is grieving the death of their child, no matter their age. Once uttered or written it cannot be taken back. May Marie Osmond continue her life without unecessary pain brought on by people who have no idea of the pain she is feeling.

By Martha Branch

I watched the Oprah show today with Marie and at first I wasn't going to watch because I have a broken heart too. I have three children 2 girls and a boy and my 2 precious and beautiful daughters died. One died in 1997 in car accident and the other died 2008 of a stroke. I just didn't think I could watch it but I'm glad I did. Please let Marie know that I know how it feels to have a broken heart and don't listen to crap from people who are ignorant and don't know what it's like. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to feel this pain. It never goes away you just try to not think about it. I know where my babies are and I will see them one day.

By Liz

I feel so bad for you Ms. Branch. Keep strong and take care.

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