Marie Osmond
Marie Osmond
 


CHICAGO (KTLA) - Marie Osmond says her son suffered from depression and had struggled with drugs before his suicide eight months ago.

During an interview on the episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" that aired Thursday, Osmond says her son, Michael Bryan, didn't show his depression.

She says he had a difficult childhood and started to use drugs when he was about 12, but that he wasn't using drugs at the time of his death.

Michael Bryan Blosil died about 10 p.m. Feb. 26 in the 900 block of South Flower Street after he jumped from the eighth floor balcony of his downtown L.A. apartment.

He was one of five adopted children of Osmond and her ex-husband, Brian Blosil.

The cause of death was listed as multiple blunt trauma, according to Harvey, who said the death has been officially ruled a suicide.

"The toxicology report was completely negative," he said.

Blosil left a suicide note which reportedly referred to his lifelong battle with depression.

A friend of Blosil's reportedly found that note.

"He wanted me to tell his family that he loves them, that he loves each and every one of them, because he was scared to do it himself," Ruthann Clawson says.

Bryan told Clawson that he committed suicide because he wanted to be at peace -- but he wanted her to live a long and happy life.

"I want people to remember him as the nicest person I've ever met," she said.

Clawson told investigators that Bryan had previously attempted suicide three times.

Blosil was a first-year student of apparel manufacturing at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, said college spokeswoman Shirley Wilson.

Blosil and other students lived at the Metropolitan apartments on Flower Street, Wilson said.

The complex, known as " The Met," has a 24-hour doorman and a balcony for every apartment, along with a spa, pool and other luxuries.

Osmond revealed in 2007 that her son had entered rehab but didn't say specifically what he was being treated for.

"He's dealing with a lot of issues," she told CNN's Larry King at the time. "I don't feel comfortable talking for him. I think he'll have to deal with that."

Osmond did say one of the issues troubling him was the fact that he was adopted.

"He is the most amazing kid ...," she added before beginning to cry.

Osmond herself has struggled with depression over the years, as she disclosed in her 2001 book, "Behind the Smile: My Journey Out of Postpartum Depression."

Blosil was one of Osmond's five adopted children.

She also has three other children from two marriages.

Osmond divorced Brian Blosil in 2007 after two decades of marriage. She and her first husband, Stephen Craig, divorced in 1985.

Osmond earned fame at age 13 with the hit song "Paper Roses," and starred with her brother, Donny, on television's "Donny and Marie Show" during the 1970s.

The siblings perform a musical variety show regularly at the Flamingo Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.