
Alice Cooper says Ozzy Osbourne was ‘unmatched showman and cultural icon'
Posting on Instagram, following a performance in Cardiff dedicated to the late singer, Cooper said: 'The whole world is mourning Ozzy tonight.
A post shared by Alice Cooper (@alicecooper)
'Over his long career, he earned immense respect among his peers and from fans around the world as an unmatched showman and cultural icon.
'I always saw Ozzy as a cross between the prince of darkness, which is the persona his fans saw, and the court jester. That was the side that his family and friends saw.
'He was and will continue to be a rock and roll legend. Rock and Roll is a family and a fraternity. When we lose one of our own, it bleeds. I wish I would have gotten to know my brother Ozzy better.
'A titanic boulder has crashed, but rock will roll on.'
Also paying tribute to the late singer was Kermit the Frog, who worked with Osbourne on the album Kermit: Unpigged.
The statement, shared on The Muppets Instagram account, said: 'No-one rocked harder than the great Ozzy Osbourne.
'We loved working with him on our album Kermit: Unpigged. He recorded Born To Be Wild with Miss Piggy – the perfect song for both of them!
'Every time we bumped into Ozzy over the years, he made us feel just as cool as he was.
'We loved having a friend like Ozzy Osbourne and we feel so lucky to have known him, worked with him and experienced his music for so many decades.'
Sir Elton John remembered Osbourne as a 'huge trailblazer' who 'secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods'.
Writing on Instagram, Sir Elton said: 'He was also one of the funniest people I've ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love. Elton xx.'
I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne 💔🙏 What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham🙏☀️❤️🎤 pic.twitter.com/Z6V2CNXWNG
— Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) July 22, 2025
The Rolling Stones' Wood also paid tribute after joining Osbourne at Black Sabbath's last gig at Villa Park, Birmingham, earlier this month.
He posted on X: 'I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne.
'What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham.'
Singer Yungblud, who sang Black Sabbath's Changes at the Back To The Beginning farewell concert on July 5, said he was 'heartbroken' by the news and called Osbourne 'the greatest of all time'.
'I didn't think you would leave so soon, the last time we met you were so full of life and your laugh filled up the room,' he wrote in a social media post.
Rock band Motorhead said they had lost a 'dear friend' in a post that recalled the band's late vocalist Lemmy's friendship with Osbourne.
A post shared by YUNGBLUD (@yungblud)
The message read: 'We lost our dear friend today. Ozzy was a pioneer, a guiding force for all in hard rock and metal, and a great guy too.
'Lemmy and Ozzy were brothers in arms who enjoyed many adventures together, and his loss is seismic. RIP Ozzy, we will always love and celebrate you… '
AC/DC posted that Osbourne's death was a 'great loss to all that loved him', with Metallica members calling him an 'icon' and 'mentor' while sharing images from photographers Ross Halfin and Noah Abrams.
'He taught us how to play in the big leagues while at the same time being warm, welcoming, engaging, and all around brilliant,' they wrote on Instagram.
Among the other stars paying tribute were former footballer Sir David Beckham, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, Van Halen's Sammy Hagar, Jon Bon Jovi, singer Donny Osmond, Queen guitarist Sir Brian May and US movie star Adam Sandler, who said he felt 'so happy' that he was able to meet Osbourne.
Foo Fighters said in a social media post: 'Rock and Roll would not be as loud or as fun' without Osbourne, while Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant wrote he had 'truly changed the planet of rock'.
A post shared by Sir Brian May (@brianmayforreal)
'There was never an Ozzy before Ozzy,' he said.
Sir Brian said Osbourne's final concert earlier in the month 'was a glorious way to say goodbye' to the heavy metal vocalist who died on July 22 at the age of 76.
Actor Jason Momoa shared a photo of himself alongside Osbourne and his wife Sharon to Instagram, writing: 'Love you @ozzyosbourne All my aloha @sharonosbourne and ohana. So grateful.'
Aston Villa, Osbourne's home-town football club, said it was 'saddened' to learn of the star's passing.
'Growing up in Aston, not far from Villa Park, Ozzy always held a special connection to the club and the community he came from,' the club said.
An honour to have celebrated the extraordinary life and legacy of Ozzy Osbourne just weeks ago.
Devastated to hear the news of his death today. One of the greatest gifts my city gave the world.
My thoughts are with his family.
In Ozzy's own words: Birmingham forever. pic.twitter.com/SWfgYiJdty
— Shabana Mahmood MP (@ShabanaMahmood) July 22, 2025
'The thoughts of everyone at Aston Villa are with his wife Sharon, his family, friends, and countless fans at this extremely difficult time.'
Justice Secretary and Birmingham Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood said she was among those who celebrated Osbourne's life and legacy just over two weeks ago.
She wrote on X: 'Devastated to hear the news of his death today. One of the greatest gifts my city gave the world.
'My thoughts are with his family. In Ozzy's own words: Birmingham forever.'
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Ozzy Osbourne superfan 'thought it was a prank' when heavy metal legend died
Ozzy Osbourne fans - including emotional Jen Butler - lined the streets of Birmingham yesterday as the Prince of Darkness made his final journey through his home city An Ozzy Osbourne superfan thought "it was a prank" when the the Prince of Darkness died. Jen Butler was among thousands of mourners gathered in Birmingham city centre yesterday as Ozzy, the frontman of Black Sabbath, made his final journey through his home city. Jen arrived at 5.45am to pay her respects to the legendary heavy metal icon, who died aged 76 last week after a battle with Parkinson's disease. But it took Jen, 46, one week to accept the tragedy as, at first, she believed she was being pranked. Grieving, she declined for days to visit the site of floral tributes on Broad Street, Birmingham, despite only living around four miles away in Smethwick, West Midlands. Fighting the emotion as she spoke to a reporter at the scene of the funeral procession yesterday, Jen said: "Honestly, when he passed, I thought it was a prank, it's only today that I've had enough courage to come down and see the memorial. It's starting to sink in that he's really gone." The funeral procession passed by the Black Sabbath Bridge, which has been transformed into a giant shrine featuring hundreds of flowers and tributes. Reflecting by the bridge on Broad Street in the city centre, Jen continued: "I became a fan when I was eight-years-old. My whole life has literally been this man. "When we got here it was 5.45am and there were already loads of people here. I was going to camp overnight, I expected it to be this packed. Us rock fans, usually we don't get up yet before midday. "He's the only person that I'd get up that early for. There were probably 30 or so people here at that time and now it's descended into chaos. "Ozzy has done so much for us over the years, he's given us such beautiful music, the least we could do is get here and see him off... To me this is bigger than the Queen's passing. I didn't even go to the Queen's funeral." Chants of "Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy" could be heard while city centre bars blasted out Black Sabbath hits. The cortège, which passed these pubs, was accompanied by a brass band performance from Birmingham musicians Bostin' Brass. The Osbourne family, which paid for the event and all associated costs, followed the hearse through the city centre. Ozzy's wife Sharon, and children Kelly, Jack, Aimee and Louis were among relatives to get out of cars at the bridge and pay their respects to the star. In heartbreaking scenes, Sharon broke down in tears as she grieved the loss of her husband of more than 40 years. Sharon, 72, l ooked heartbroken as she emerged from her car to survey the thousands of tributes at the famous bridge.


Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Sharon Osbourne's hidden tributes to late husband Ozzy at his emotional funeral procession
Sharon Osbourne paid a touching tribute to her late husband Ozzy as she led his emotional funeral procession on Wednesday. The Black Sabbath rocker died aged 76 on July 22 and his funeral cortege travelled through his hometown of Birmingham on Wednesday. His grief-stricken wife Sharon and children Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis led the parade and stopped at Black Sabbath Bridge to an outpouring of love from the crowd. Sharon, 72, paid a subtle tribute to her late husband during the ceremony as she wore Ozzy's ring around her neck. She was seen wearing the recognisable gold ring featuring a row of diamonds around her neck on a chain. The distinctive piece of jewellery is believed to be Ozzy's wedding band, and he has been seen wearing it on his ring finger in recent years. According to reports, Ozzy has been wearing the ring since their 2017 vow renewal - which took place 35 years after they originally tied the knot. During the funeral, Sharon also held her hands up and gave a double peace sign - a gesture which has become synonymous with the metal star. Ozzy previously explained the significance behind the gesture, telling Rolling Stone in 2002: 'We were the last hippie band. We were into peace.' Sharon wasn't the only member of the Osbourne clan to subtly pay tribute to Ozzy as his kids also all wore heartfelt items which directly referenced their beloved father. Ozzy's son Louis - from his first marriage to Thelma Riley - wore a purple tie featuring a skull and crossbones in a nod to his father's own rock n' roll style. Kelly, 40, also remembered her father by wearing his iconic sunglasses, with the Prince of Darkness becoming synonymous with round shades over the years. In another poignant clothing choice, Jack, 39, also wore a small silver cross pin on the end of his tie - a reference to Ozzy's signature pendant. Lastly, Aimee, 41, also pinned a bat brooch to her blazer as she joined her family in paying reference to Ozzy's iconic career. One of Ozzy's most famous moments was when he bit the head off a bat live on stage, with the metal star even performing on a bat throne at his farewell show at Villa Park just weeks before his death. Huge crowds descended on Birmingham on Wednesday to pay tribute to the beloved Prince of Darkness at his funeral procession. The funeral cortege was led by a live brass band, Bostin' Brass, who performed versions of Black Sabbath songs such as Iron Man, as thousands of tearful devotees lined the streets and sang along in Ozzy's memory. The hearse carrying the singer's coffin - adorned with purple flowers spelling out 'Ozzy' - passed the star's childhood home in Lodge Road, Aston, shortly after midday. Flowers had been placed outside the terraced property, close to Villa Park, while the owners of the house put up a picture of Osbourne in the front bay window. Sharon led the procession with her children Jack, Aimee and Kelly and Ozzy's son Louis from his first marriage as they comforted each other amid their devastating grief. Thousands of people were pictured taking their places not only on Black Sabbath Bridge but along the city centre route along which his cortege travelled towards the Black Sabbath Bridge bench. Fans clapped and cheered chanting 'Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy' as the rock legend's hearse passed through the streets of Birmingham as Sharon watched on and brushed away tears. Describing Ozzy as a 'working class hero' who loved his city, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham said: 'I got to know him in the last few weeks when we gave him the freedom of the city and he was just so humble, so down to earth. He was a working class hero. 'I couldn't tell he was a rock star, he was just an ordinary guy, so caring. He had working class roots and his loved his fans, he loved his city, he always promoted Birmingham wherever he went, he was proud to have been born in Aston. 'His slogan was "Birmingham Forever" and that makes me such a proud citizen. It was a last hurrah for him today.' Ozzy and his Black Sabbath bandmates - Terence 'Geezer' Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward - were recently given the freedom of the city of Birmingham, which recognises people's exceptional service to the city. Ozzy is survived by his wife Sharon and his five children Jessica, Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack. In a statement shared last Tuesday, Ozzy's family said he died 'surrounded by love', adding: '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.' Ozzy took to the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death - reuniting with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time since 2005. More than 42,000 fans packed into the venue for the Back To The Beginning show, during which he told the crowd in his final speech: 'You've no idea how I feel - thank you from the bottom of my heart.' Fans clapped and cheered chanting 'Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy' as the rock legend's hearse passed through the streets of Birmingham as Sharon watched on and brushed away tears A message on screen then read: 'Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,' before the sky lit up with fireworks. He had told of it being his last performance due to his health, having opened up about his battle with Parkinson's in 2020. The musician had undergone seven surgeries in the past five years, including a fourth spinal operation in 2023, and had been battling Parkinson's disease since 2003. Before his final show, Ozzy said he hoped to continue recording music after retiring from live performing, but he heartbreakingly died before he was able to do so. Ozzy's last solo album, 2022's Patient Number 9, featured a long list of guest artists, including hid Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Zakk Wylde, and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready, among others.


The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
My heart ached to see Ozzy Osbourne's children standing shoulder to shoulder in the city he made so proud
TO the sound of the fantastic Bostin Brass Band, Ozzy's cortege passed slowly along Broad Street in Birmingham. Along with the bursts of applause from the thousands of devoted fans who had lined up to say goodbye, the procession was everything Ozzy would have wanted. 3 3 This day was, as he had hoped, a celebration of his life and his legacy. His heart however, I know, would have broken to see his wife Sharon, held up by her son Jack, breaking down in tears in front of the sea of flowers that had been laid for him at the Black Sabbath bridge. Those close enough to Sharon shouted out to her and applauded in a small gesture of support. Yesterday was no doubt one of the most difficult days of Sharon's life. My heart ached as I saw Jack, Aimee, Kelly, and Louis standing shoulder to shoulder in the city their father made so proud. Losing your husband, your father, is difficult enough. Sharing that grief, although they wanted to, would have been incredibly hard. Wednesday's procession was the first of two fitting farewells to the Prince of Darkness who would have no doubt made a joke about all the fuss. As Ozzy himself said, there was no such thing as death for him. 'I will retire when I hear the nail go in the box and then I will do an encore,' he joked last year. 'I am the Prince of Darkness.' Today Sharon, their children, and Ozzy's closest friends will gather at a church in Gerrards Cross to say their final goodbyes to the pioneer of heavy metal music. Ozzy, I have been told, will then be laid to rest in the family's Buckinghamshire home where he made so many happy memories. The pain of his loss will never go away for those closest to him and for the fans who held him up as an icon. But with his music, Ozzy's legacy will continue to inspire and delight generations to come. 3