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Marie Osmond, who recently propelled herself back into the spotlight by “dancing with the stars,” will be in Fort Wayne this spring to talk about her life.
Osmond will be the keynote speaker at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne’s seventh annual Tapestry: A Day for Women, scheduled for April 25 at Memorial Coliseum. Tapestry is a daylong event that promotes renewal and self-growth for women.
The title of Osmond’s speech is “Hanging on Through Life Can Ruin a Good Manicure,” which will include stories from her family, her recent stint on “Dancing With the Stars” and doll collecting, said Jennifer Bosk, chairwoman of the Tapestry event.
“We chose her before we even knew she was going to be on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’ ” Bosk said. “We feel doubly lucky that she’s so popular currently, as well as from what we remember from way in the past when we were all in love with the Osmonds.”
Osmond gained fame in the early 1970s when, at age 13, her hit song “Paper Roses” debuted. She then began performing with her family as part of the Osmond Brothers.
Osmond later paired with her brother, Donny, to duet on songs and host a weekly TV variety series, “The Donny & Marie Show,” which ran from 1976 to 1981.
She later starred in a number of TV movies and lent her voice to several children’s videos before going off on her own to record country songs.
In 1991, she launched the Marie Osmond Fine Porcelain Collector Dolls line on QVC and at Disney theme parks.
But Osmond has also struggled in her life, most recently with the divorce from her husband of more than 20 years, the death of her father and her teenage son entering rehab – which all occurred last year.
Osmond, the mother of eight children, has also suffered from postpartum depression.
In addition to Osmond’s speech, Tapestry will include a number of breakout sessions and the opportunity for women to shop at a boutique and visit a number of trade-show exhibits. Revenue from the event has been used to pay for scholarships.
Previous speakers include Marlo Thomas, Patty Duke, Erin Brockovich and Goldie Hawn.
About 750 women attended last year’s event, and Bosk projects nearly 1,000 will register this year. IPFW officials plan to announce more details about this year’s Tapestry at a news conference Jan. 17.
ksoderlund@jg.net
