Singer and actress Marie Osmond took to Instagram on Monday to share that she has lost a longtime friend.
The Talk star shared a throwback photo from the 1970s with Bill Waite as she announced he had passed away.
‘Lost a very dear friend to cancer today!’ began the 60-year-old brunette beauty who came to fame over 40 years ago with The Donnie & Marie Show.
Gone too soon: Marie Osmond took to Instagram on Monday to share that she has lost a longtime friend. The Talk star shared a throwback photo from the 1970s with Bill Waite as she announced he had passed
On the red carpet: The Dancing With The Stars vet pictured in February 2019
‘Bill Waite started working for our family when I was 16 years old,’ added Marie. ‘He started selling merchandise for us on tour & in Vegas to put himself through college.
‘He ended up becoming a very successful attorney and worked with us on many many projects throughout the years. The last one we were blessed to work together on was for Paul Mitchell and their gracious contributions to CMN Hospitals.
‘He and his wife Donna were the perfect couple!!! Love and prayers go out to them, the children and family during this difficult time❤️.’
He was a part of the team: ‘Bill Waite started working for our family when I was 16 years old,’ added Marie. ‘He started selling merchandise for us on tour & in Vegas to put himself through college’
In the image Marie looked to be in her early 20s as she had on a blue and white shirt and stood in front of metallic wallpaper. Bill wore a patchwork shirt.
This comes after the performer sent her ‘deepest love and compassion’ to Lisa Marie Presley following the death of her son Benjamin.
Benjamin Keough – the singer’s son from her first marriage to Danny Keough – reportedly took his own life at the age of 27 in California a week ago, leaving his family distraught.
And Marie has now sent her condolences to Lisa Marie, as she says the subject is ‘very close to home’ for her, after she too lost her son Michael when he took his own life in 2010 at age 18.
Heartache: Osmond has sent her ‘deepest love and compassion’ to Lisa Marie Presley following the death of her son Benjamin; seen on The Talk last week
Loss: Benjamin Keough – the singer’s son from her first marriage to Danny Keough – reportedly took his own life at the age of 27 in California on Sunday, leaving his family distraught
Speaking through tears during an appearance on The Talk, Marie said: ‘It’s very close to home for me.
‘When I heard the news, sorry, I just sat back and I relived it all again. I know exactly what she’s going through. And it brought back all those feelings of the first time I saw him.
‘That realization, especially for Lisa – I mean, it’s her baby, her boy, you know,’ added the former Dancing With The Stars contestant.
So sad for her: Speaking through tears during an appearance on The Talk , Marie said: ‘It’s very close to home for me
Her family: Lisa Marie with her son as well as daughter Riley and her twins Finley and Harper
Baby Lisa: Lisa Marie is the daughter of the late Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla; seen in 1968
‘And I know the grieving she has to be going through. It’s really difficult,’ the Donny & Marie Show star said.
‘This is my opinion and something that I would suggest for anybody who goes through something like this – that the hardship is devastating on you as a mother, but I would be aware of those around you … she has other children, and I listened to that statement, she’s helping those kids,’ add Osmond.
‘That’s the best thing she can do right now is to be there for them because she may have lost a son, but they lost their own brother. My deepest love and compassion goes out to her and her family right now.’
She lost a son too: And Marie has now sent her condolences to Lisa Marie, as she says the subject is ‘very close to home’ for her, after she too lost her son Michael when he took his own life in 2010. Seen with sons Stephen, Michael (in front) and Brandon in 1999
Marie’s on Michael jumped from an apartment building in Los Angeles in 2010. A friend reportedly said at the time that he had been depressed.
‘My family and I are devastated and in deep shock by the tragic loss of our dear Michael and ask that everyone respect our privacy during this difficult time,’ Osmond said in a statement in 2010.
Marie and Michael’s father, Brian, divorced in 2007. They have two biological children and adopted five others, including Michael.
The star also had a son with her first husband, Stephen Craig, whom she remarried in 2011.
Following Benjamin’s tragic death, a spokesperson for Lisa Marie – who also has daughter Riley with Danny and 11-year-old twins Finley and Harper with her fourth husband Michael Lockwood – said: ‘She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11 year old twins and her oldest daughter Riley.
‘She adored that boy. He was the love of her life.’
Benjamin is said to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.