Ozzy Osbourne 'knew his days were numbered' when he performed last gig and how wife Sharon kept him going in final days

Daily Mail​

a day ago

Ozzy Osbourne 'knew his days were numbered' when he took to the stage with Black Sabbath for the final time two weeks before his death.
The music legend, nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, died on Tuesday at the age of 76 just weeks after he took to the stage for his Back To The Beginning Show.
Musician David Ellefson, bassist and songwriter of Megadeth, was a close friend of Ozzy's for years and told how the VIP after party following the final concert felt like a wake with Ozzy as the main attraction.
Speaking on Sirius XM Ozzy's Boneyard all day tribute to the star, David said: 'It really felt like this was the celebration of life before this inevitable day that happened right?
'Because Ozzy knew it, right? We've seen the videos online. He knew his days were numbered.'
'And God bless Sharon for just keeping it going and giving him something to look forward to.
'The fact that he got to say goodbye, the fact that we all got to say goodbye to him. In my opinion, not trying to be morbid. I'm being celebratory here. We got to have the celebration of life before he passed. I mean, what a beautiful thing.'
David again praised Ozzy's wife Sharon for helping to organise his final show so his fans could 'say goodbye' to the singer.
'And I was just thinking, God bless Sharon and all those people that did this because for the world to get to say goodbye to Ozzy. Because we knew this day was coming. This isn't as shocking as it is - we knew it was coming,' he said.
'And so to just have had that moment, all of us together, whether we were on the stage, in the audience, watching it on TV or now, the social media posts, that is the shot around the world, man, that's taken over the world, that event.
'And so for all of us, I mean, what a great way to say goodbye. It just was a beautiful thing that will live with all of us forever.'
David played in supergroup A at the gig and recalled how happy Ozzy was after the performance.
'It was super cool, and they'd bring Ozzy in and family's there and standing right up front and he saw me and he said, 'Hey, come here. Come here'. He signals me over. So I kneeled down and have a quick chat with him. And I said, 'man, that was fricking awesome you did great.
'And he was happy. He had that after show glow (corr) that we all have, right?'
'It seemed like he wanted to hang out all night. And then of course, Jack shushes everybody, and right in front of us Sid's proposing marriage to Kelly.
'And oh my God, it was like, we're in the Osbourne living room watching this intimate moment. And I shot a little video of it on my phone.
'And I was just looking at it while going,'God, there he was, man, just a couple weeks ago. there's Ozzy just sitting in his chair. He is smiling. His leg was shaking a little bit like it was,.
'And it was just such a glorious, happy, happy moment.
'And so that's the Ozzy I remember, not even the rockstar, just that guy. '
Meanwhile, a sweet video of Ozzy around the kitchen table with his family just two days before his death has emerged today.
The British rockstar says a cheery 'good morning' to his daughter Kelly, who called him 'dadda', as they spent time together at his Grade II listed mansion in Buckinghamshire, Welders House last weekend.
MailOnline revealed yesterday that an air ambulance was called to Osbourne's grand country home as paramedics battled to save his life for two hours.
Friends told the Mail's Alison Boshoff that his heartbroken wife Sharon may now bury Ozzy in the gardens of the 350-acre estate in an intimate family funeral, as she is 'too frail' to go through a larger, public service, leaving friends 'terrified' for her.
Their daughter Kelly, 40, shared the video with fans on her Instagram Story on July 20, just two days before the singer died.
In the clip, Ozzy was sat at a kitchen table using his tablet while spending time with his youngest daughter and her two-year-old son Sidney.
The trio were enjoying breakfast together while reading the newspapers, including the Daily Mail, which was spread out on the table.
Kelly said: 'Good morning', before panning the camera to her father who was wearing a pair of headphones as she said, 'Dadda, say good morning'.
Ozzy leaned forward and replied, 'Good morning'.
On Wednesday, Sharon responded to the sea of touching tributes to her late husband, after his family announced his death.
English musician Gavin Rossdale took to Instagram shortly after the news broke to pay tribute to the heavy metal icon, writing: 'RIP OZZY - a great man -a true legend - I met Ozzy through Jack just a few times but he was so warm and kind and funny and I love that memory.
'Sending much love to his family at this difficult time. Rest in power.'
Osbourne's heartbroken wife Sharon replied to his post: 'Bless you.'
Hours earlier, fans began to spot Sharon responding to messages from fans, offering their sympathies.
She replied to BBC Radio 1 DJ Jack Saunders' message of support.
'Jack thank you for your tribute to Ozzy tonight, bless you,' she commented.
On Wednesday, MailOnline revealed that an air ambulance was called to Osbourne's multi-million-pound country home as paramedics battled to save his life.
The Thames Valley air ambulance landed in a field close to Welders House, the singer's Grade II listed mansion on Tuesday morning at around 10.30am.
It's believed that calls from Welders House had led call handlers to believe that the Black Sabbath singer's life was in the balance.
A chopper was dispatched from Thames Valley ambulance base at RAF Benson in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, some 27 miles from the mansion which is located close to the village of Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire.
The crew were airborne for around 15 minutes before landing in the grounds of the mansion and were then with Osbourne for around two hours, trying but failing to save his life, it's understood.
News of the helicopter drama is the first insight into the finer details of the singer's death.
Locals in the village of Jordans, which adjoins Osbourne's home told MailOnline that they realised 'something serious' was taking place when they heard a helicopter hovering above Welders and then saw it land nearby.
It was seen taking off again at around 12.30pm.
One resident, who did not wish to be named said: 'I went out to have a look and saw that it was landing close to Osbourne's house.
'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 confirmed to MailOnline: 'We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday.'
Osbourne's 125-year-old country pile is surrounded by a 350-acre estate which he and Sharon bought in the summer of 1993 for an undisclosed sum.
Ahead of his arrival in the UK for his farewell concert in Birmingham three weeks ago it had undergone a major refurbishment which included a dedicated rehab wing, swimming pool and pond so that he could spend more time there as his health deteriorated.
Another local, Jane, also saw the Air Ambulance.
She told MailOnline: 'I was out walking when I saw the helicopter landing close to Welders and realised something serious was happening…
'Ozzy Osbourne was quite a character and we'll miss him.'
Ozzy himself had revealed his plans for his funeral back in 2011, saying he didn't want it to be a sad occasion but a time to say 'thanks'.
'There'll be no harping on the bad times,' he told The Times back in 2011.
'It's worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives, so by any measure, most of us in this country — especially rock stars like me — are very lucky.
'That's why I don't want my funeral to be sad, I want it to be a time to say ''thanks''.'
Ozzy insisted he wanted it to be a celebration rather than a 'mope-fest' and that he didn't care what music was played as long as it made his loved ones happy.
'I honestly don't care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and We Are the Diddymen if it makes 'em happy,' he quipped.
Ozzy passed away on Tuesday, just weeks after he took to the stage for a final performance with his band in Villa Park, Birmingham.
The Osbourne family said in a statement: '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.'
Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, and dropped out of school at the age of 15.
After serving two months in prison for burglary, he decided to pursue his love of music and by 1970 Black Sabbath had gained a huge following in the US and UK with the release of their first album.
Ozzy quit the band in 1978 and divorced his first wife Thelma Mayfair, who he had two children with, four years later, amid his ongoing substance abuse problems.
He went on to marry second wife Sharon Osbourne, who helped him transform into a successful solo artist and the couple had three children together.
Ozzy gained a whole new audience of fans with the family's reality TV show The Osbournes in 2001.
He is survived by his wife Sharon and his five children, Jessica, Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack.
The statement announcing Ozzy's death was signed by four of his children, and it remains a mystery why his two other children, Jessica and Elliot, were snubbed from the family tribute.
It is unclear if they will release their own public statements, as both remain largely out of the spotlight.
Jessica was the one who made Ozzy a grandparent for the first time, and despite never appearing in The Osbournes' TV show, she was mentioned in the episode 'Smells Like Teen Spirits,' when Ozzy learned that she had welcomed a daughter.
Jessica has two daughters, Isabelle and Kitty, and one son called Harry.
Meanwhile, not much is known about Elliot Kingsley as he tends to keep out of the spotlight with no public social media accounts.
He now lives in Wellington, New Zealand with his wife Joanne Crawford, who is originally from Scotland, where the couple lived before jetting abroad.
Louis was clearly devastated by his father's passing, as he changed his Facebook profile picture to an all-black screen.
Louis now works as a DJ and married actress Louise Lennon in 2004.
The pair tied the knot in 2004, with Ozzy unable to attend after suffering major injuries after being injured in a quad bike accident.
In the 2011 documentary film God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, produced by his son Jack, he revealed that he could not even remember when Louis and Jessica were born.
Louis also opened up about growing up with a drunk father.
'When he was around and he wasn't [drunk], he was a great father,' he said in the documentary.
'But that was kind of seldom, really. I just have a lot of memories of him being drunk, random s**t like driving cars across fields and crashing them in the middle of the night and stuff like that. It's not good for family life, really.'
His older sister, Jessica added: 'I don't remember being put to bed or having a bath by dad or anything like that.
'I wouldn't say he was there for us, no, never on sports day, school trip, parents' evening. He wasn't like that, no.'
Ozzy took to the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park Stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death.
The rocker reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005 to bid an emotional farewell to his decades of performing live on stage.
After selling out in minutes, over 42,000 fans packed into Villa Park for the aptly-titled Back to the Beginning show, which saw Ozzy and Black Sabbath return to their hometown - 56 years after they formed there.
The final photograph of him before his death was taken on stage as he sat on a black throne aptly decorated with a bat to perform his best-known hits for his loyal fans.
His final words on stage were: 'It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.'
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.
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.
He told Metal Hammer magazine: 'I still enjoy doing my own work, I also enjoy singing on other people's work.
'For the foreseeable future, I will keep on recording if the projects interest me, it's very important.'
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.
Black Sabbath pioneered heavy metal music in the early 1970s with hits such as War Pigs, Paranoid and Iron Man.
The band's impact on music was enormous and they brought a heavy metal genre that had been in its infancy when they began to the attention of millions of fans.
His wife Sharon later came up with the idea for the fly-on-the-wall documentary about her family that was filmed at their Beverly Hills home.
It proved a major hit for US network MTV, running between 2002 and 2005. Aimee however refused to take part and criticised her parents for their antics, despite the fact that the show won an Emmy for Outstanding Reality Programme.
It covered major events including Sharon's 2002 colon cancer diagnosis and Osbourne's quad bike crash in 2003. Sharon survived the cancer battle despite a poor prognosis.
Ozzy admitted that he 'fell apart' during his wife's treatment, whilst Jack tried to take his own life due to the impact of his mother's condition on his mental health.
Sharon forged her own career as a TV star, most famously as a judge on hit talent show The X Factor. She now also hosts chat show The Talk on Talk TV.
Ozzy had been suffering from Parkinson's disease since 2003 and had undergone seven surgeries in the past five years, including a fourth spinal surgery in September 2023.
His health battle began more than two decade ago, when in 2003, he broke his neck after falling off a quad bike leading to some extensive back surgery and metal rods being put down his spine.
The British musician was diagnosed with a mild form of Parkinson's disease in 2003, however he only went public with the condition in 2020.
However, Ozzy previously said that his biggest struggles were due to a fall which he suffered in 2019 which caused metal rods in his back to dislodge.
The rods had been put there following a quad bike accident at his Buckinghamshire home in 2003.
He told Rolling Stone UK magazine: 'The second surgery went drastically wrong and virtually left me crippled.
'I thought I'd be up and running after the second and third, but with the last one they put a f*ing rod in my spine.
'They found a tumour in one of the vertebrae, so they had to dig all that out too. It's pretty rough, man, and my balance is all f*ed up.'
The illness led to him cancelling a string of tour dates while he recovered, including postponing the UK and European legs of his No More Tours 2.
Ahead of his final live performance in July 2025, which was a benefit concert in Birmingham, Ozzy gave an update on his health status and state of mind.
Speaking on SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard, he said: 'You know what, I go on about the way I can't walk and I can't do this, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all of my complaining, I'm still alive.'
He continued: 'I may be moaning about how I can't walk as well but as I look down the road, there's people that didn't do half as much as me, and they didn't make it.'
'I'm trying to get back on my feet.'
Host Billy Morrison added: 'Ozzy, you are so much better than you were just a year ago.'
He replied: 'Yeah, but the recovery is very slow. That f***ing surgeon. Plus the Parkinson's. When you get up in the morning, you just jump outta bed. Oh I have to balance myself, you know? But you know, I'm not dead, as you say. I'm still actively doing things.'
Also ahead of the gig, Ozzy's wife Sharon revealed: 'Ozzy's working with his therapist every single day. He's doing really well, actually.
'Ozzy's number one thing in life is his fans, so he's working hard to be ready for them, to make this show the perfect way to end things.'