Jimmy Osmond is recovering from a major medical scare. Late last week, the youngest member of the famous Osmond singing family reportedly suffered a stroke while playing Captain Hook in a performance of Peter Pan at a theater in Birmingham, England, BBC News reports. Osmond, 55, reportedly "pushed through" the live pantomime performance at Birmingham Hippodrome before being driven to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a stroke. After Osmond finished the play at the U.K. theater he even signed autographs for fans before going to the hospital, according to Fox News.
Jimmy Osmond will not be returning to work in the play, which ends its run on January 27, and his understudy will be taking over the role for the remaining shows. A spokesperson for Osmond issued a statement that said the star "is grateful for all the well wishes and will be taking time out in the new year."
Some fans, apparently unaware of Jimmy Osmond's medical condition, expressed disappointment when he was not part of the Peter Pan show as of last week. A message posted by the Hippodrome Twitter page on Sunday read: "Jimmy Osmond will not be appearing in today's performances due to illness. Sometimes with live performance, unavoidable changes to the advertised casting may occur due to circumstances beyond our control. We apologize for any disappointment."
