The son of Berlin art critic and writer Max Osborn, Franz Osborn, born in 1905, performed as a concert pianist in Berlin in the 1930s. As a Jew, he fled to Switzerland and then to London when the National Socialists came to power, where he continued his concert activity. After the Second World War he joined the BBC Symphony Orchestra.  He married June Capel in 1948.  In addition to his concert performances and recordings, he gave private piano recitals in their music salon, often attended by Queen Elizabeth. He died in 1955, aged 49, leaving June with a son, Christopher.