At age 59, Marie Osmond has been through a lot. In a new exclusive interview with Closer Weekly, the music icon candidly opened up about how she deals with life’s biggest challenges, specifically those having to do with motherhood.

During the sit-down, she sadly opened up about how she copes with the tragic suicide of her son Michael, who took his own life in 2010 at age 18. “You keep living. I thought I knew what sorrow was but you don’t ever know until you’ve been through it,” she confessed. “There’s no joy in sorrow like it says in the Scriptures, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the joy they’re talking about is looking at somebody else who’s been through what I’ve been through and saying, ‘I understand.’ There’s joy in loving other people and saying you know how they feel and that they’re going to get through this, too.”

Marie Osmond Kids
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Marie is a mom to seven other children, Stephen, 35, Jessica, 31, Rachael, 29, Brandon, 22, Brianna, 21, Matthew, 19, Abigail, 16. “My children are my greatest gift from
God. Most child celebrities don’t make the transition to adulthood very well, but I believe the reason I made it is because I had eight kids to raise,” Marie gushed to Closer. “I couldn’t stay a child! Children teach you to think about someone other than yourself. They teach you about unconditional love.”

Donny Osmond‘s sister came from a big family of her own (she has eight brothers!), so it’s no surprise Marie had a lot of kids herself — even though she revealed it wasn’t totally planned that way. “My mother told me I’d always know [what was right for me]. She said, ‘Don’t let fear ever enter into your maternal knowledge about how many children are yours,'” she shared. “When I had number eight, it was like a symphony and angels singing. I was like, ‘I’m done.’ My mom was correct — as a woman, you know.” She has the perfect family, if you ask us!

For more on Marie Osmond, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now — and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for more exclusive news!

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