Ozzy Osbourne acted 'all funny' with moving gesture to fan days before his death
Ozzy Osbourne was on top form just days before his sad death on Tuesday. It was announced that the Prince of Darkness had died aged 76, having battled ill health for several years, with air ambulance crews spending "hours" attempting to save his life.
His death came just days after he and his Black Sabbath bandmates performed their farewell gig at Villa Park on July 5, a concert that Ozzy was determined to make, despite his ill health. In recent years, his health had deteriorated following his Parkinson's diagnosis in 2003, something he kept to himself until 2020.
But after his farewell performance, Ozzy, who was determined to spend time with his fans, met them at Comic Con Midlands, in what would be his final public appearance. Here, the godfather of heavy metal posed alongside those who adored him, signed memorabilia and even interacted with their young children. One fan, singer Pip Marsh, was one of the final fans to meet Ozzy.
READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne dead UPDATES: Air medics fought to revive Black Sabbath icon
Speaking to the Mirror, he explained that his death had left him "numb." The musician added last night: "I've just seen the news, I'm devastated. It doesn't feel real, I'm numb."
He continued: "I'm gutted. I've always had this weird connection to Ozzy; he lived not too far from where I grew up. One of my first ever big shows was on the same line-up as Sabbath, it's wild. I feel numb."
"I'm gutted. I've always had this weird connection to Ozzy; he lived not too far from where I grew up. One of my first ever big shows was on the same line-up as Sabbath, it's wild. I feel numb." On meeting the Prince of Darkness, he said: "It was a three-minute meeting, but I met him, went in, shook his hand and said 'thank you for f**ing everything.'
"I just said 'you and my dad used to knock about with Charlie Clapham back in the day' and he was like 'Oh' and the person said get a photo now, as I said that, Sharon said 'Charlie Clapham oh my f**king God', it was a mutual friend. I just said thank you again, and I left."
Charlie, who was born Charles, was a pal of Ozzy's and eventually joined him on his 1980 Blizzard of Ozz tour as his official photographer. Reflecting on Ozzy at the meet and greet, We Should Drive singer Pip commented: "He was sat there getting pictures, there was a couple before me who went with a baby, he was playing with the baby acting all funny, it's mad. It's just so sad,"
And although he had only met Ozzy once, Pip says he felt a connection to the music legend throughout his entire life. He said: "Where I grew up, he always used to be around. He had that house in Staffordshire, which is near where I grew up. They had Ozzy's wine bar in Newport, which Thelma [Ozzy's first wife] ran. People who knocked about with my Dad, they all used to know Ozzy."
Ozzy's tragic death was announced on Tuesday evening, hours after air ambulance paramedics spent "hours" trying to revive him. His family said: "It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.
"He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis." A local resident said they became alarmed after noticing the helicopter in the quiet village and saw it landing close to Ozzy and Sharon's mansion.
They told the MailOnline: "All of us were talking about it and wondering what had happened. We immediately feared it may be for him as he was known to be in fragile health. When we heard later that night that he had died it confirmed our worst fears."
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Air Ambulance said: "We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday."
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