On Tuesday, the Osmond family was mourning the death of their patriarch. By Friday, they were honoring his life.
Despite the unexpected loss of 90-year-old George Osmond earlier this week, Donny, Marie and 98 of their relations kept their appointment on The Oprah Winfrey Show Friday, using the appearance as a tribute to their father.
"We talked about it, and my father would want us all to be here," Marie Osmond said.
The Dancing with the Stars competitor and self-proclaimed daddy's girl had dedicated a quickstep to her father Monday night, on the eve of his passing, a gesture she said did not go unnoticed by her father, who remained upbeat to the end.
"He saw it that night, and they said he got up the next morning and it was one of the best days he had," she said. "He took a shower, he sat down on his bed, he laid down with a smile and he passed away. And he wanted to dance with my mom. So, he moved on."
Noting that mother Olive died on Mother's Day 2004, Marie said her father could not have timed his demise any better.
"He didn't want to be outdone," she said. "He wanted to be talked about on Oprah."
Marie also said the family cherished the opportunity to appear on the show just days after their father's death. Present in the audience were 100 Osmonds—the 9 children, 55 grandchildren and 48 great-grandchildren of George and Olive.
"We believe we're an eternal family," Donny said. "We know we will be with our parents again. We know it. We don't just believe it. We know it. It's so comforting for us to know that we will be together again."
Donny also said he and his family wanted to celebrate both their late parents not just for setting an example for what a healthy relationship should look like but for doing a mighty fine job, if they say so themselves, of raising children.
"Isn't it interesting how two people can raise a family in show business, nine children, and still love each other? We still have our problems. We still have our issues. We're a normal family. But the mere fact that we can all come together and still be a tight, close-knit family, that's a testimony to my parents."
Marie also gave a more immediate testimony to her parents on the show, reprising her "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" tribute from Dancing with the Stars by taking to the Oprah stage with pro partner Jonathan Roberts.
"I did the show initially for my kids," she said of her still-going reality-show stint. "But for women who find themselves like me, a single mom, you know, at 48...life is not over. I would rather climb a mountain than crawl in a hole."
Marie and her husband of 20 years announced plans to divorce last spring.
She also set the record straight about last month's fainting spell, witnessed live by about 20 million viewers, saying the California wildfires were to blame.
"Well, I had allergies and I wasn't doing my breathing thing, because I wasn't singing, right? But the air quality because of the fires...our dressing rooms were outside, our hair, our makeup, and I got out there, and I couldn't breathe. I woke on the floor, and I saw my kids around me because my older ones were there, and I saw Jonathan, my partner who I dance with, and then I saw Tom Bergeron and I went, 'Oh, crap. What happened?' "
While Osmond was MIA from this week's results show because of her father's passing, she was still voted through to next week by the fans. She'll return to the show Monday night, where she will perform two new dances.