Parkinson's disease charities praise Ozzy Osbourne's openness about condition
The proceeds of the Black Sabbath reunion earlier this month went to Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorns Children's Hospice.
In 2020, Osbourne revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and he paused touring in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery.
He had a fall at home in 2019 which aggravated injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003.
Parkinson's UK chief executive Caroline Rassell said: 'News of Ozzy Osbourne's death, so soon after his celebratory homecoming show, will come as a shock to so many.
'By speaking openly about both his diagnosis and life with Parkinson's, Ozzy and all his family helped so many families in the same situation.
'They normalised tough conversations and made others feel less alone with a condition that's on the rise and affecting more people every day.
'All of our heartfelt thoughts are with his family, friends and fans worldwide. His memory and the impact he left on the world will live on in all of them.'
Helen Matthews, chief executive of Cure Parkinson's, said: 'We are devastated to hear the news about Ozzy and all our thoughts are with Sharon and his family.
'It seems incredible that a couple of short weeks ago Ozzy, Black Sabbath and all the acts that contributed to Back to the Beginning produced the most phenomenal and vibrant concert at Villa Park.
'We are so grateful to Ozzy for all he has done to put a spotlight on the work of Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham children's Hospital and Acorns Children's Hospice.
'On behalf of us all at Cure Parkinson's – thank you.'
Osbourne said earlier this year that the last six years had been 'full of some of the worst times I've been through'.
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The Sun
16 minutes ago
- The Sun
A-list stars join Osbourne family as they lay rock icon Ozzy to rest in grounds of his beloved UK home
A-LIST stars have joined the Osbourne family as they lay Ozzy to rest in the grounds of their home. The Black Sabbath rock legend's wife Sharon broke down in tears yesterday as she read tributes as thousands of fans lined the streets of his hometown Birmingham for the coffin procession. 3 3 3 Sharon was supported by their children Jack, 39, Kelly, 40 and Aimee, 41, and Ozzy's son Louis, 50, on Wednesday, as they walked to a memorial carrying purple flowers. He's being laid to rest today at the family's multi-million-pound mansion in Welders, Buckinghamshire. It comes after pals said Sharon wanted to bury Ozzy in the garden. Roads have been closed off and some A-list pals like Sir Elton John are not attending. Ozzy died on Tuesday surrounded by his loved ones after a series of lengthy health battles. A source told The Mirror: "It's a lovely house and Sharon wanted to bring him back from LA. "I don't know if she will feel strong enough to have a big memorial for all the people who want to say goodbye to him. "We think she may want to bury him privately at home, in the garden." Earlier this month, the rocker played at Villa Park - reuniting with his bandmates on stage for the first time in 20 years. Three years ago, Ozzy and wife Sharon were given the green light by the council to transform their historic Buckinghamshire home to include a new adjoining mega-extension solely for the Black Sabbath frontman. The Sun previously revealled that the rehab wing is as huge as the historic Grade II-listed home. Ozzy's heart would have broken seeing Sharon's tears By Ellie Henman TO the sound of the fantastic Bostin Brass Band, Ozzy's cortege passed slowly along Broad Street. 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. 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. Today 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. This afternoon'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.' Tomorrow 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.
Daily Mail
16 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ozzy Osbourne's family gather to lay him to rest in the grounds of his mansion in front of huge tongue-in-cheek sign with stars including Elton John among mourners
Ozzy Osbourne 's widow Sharon and her family are being joined by rock legends at a private funeral for the heavy metal icon at his Buckinghamshire home - as he desired. The Black Sabbath frontman was buried in a freshly dug grave close to the lake at the heart of the sprawling 250-acre property close to Gerrards Cross. The Word 'Ozzy' was written in one bouquet of purple flowers flanking the pond behind the manor house, and three bunches of purple plants reading 'OZZY F*****G OSBOURNE' had been placed next to the lake. Today's events follow a funeral procession witnessed by thousands of fans through Birmingham city centre on Wednesday. Ozzy's widow Sharon, 72, was supported by her children and thousands of fans as she laid a single rose at 'Black Sabbath Bridge' that afternoon. She and Ozzy's children Jack, Kelly and Aimee laid their own floral tributes at the site - and made a peace sign as they gestured their gratitude to fans - while accompanied by Ozzy's son Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley. Floral tributes to the rock star first displayed at the public memorial in Birmingham yesterday were on show for the intimate farewell. Tributes have continued to pour in for Osbourne, who died aged 76 last week - and had spoken in the past about his wishes for a lack of funeral fuss. Speaking in in 2011 about how he imagined his future send-off, the Black Sabbath legend said: '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. But I do want to make sure it's a celebration, not a mope-fest.' The funeral cortege yesterday 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. A closed service was arranged for today at a church in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, including a reading by singer Yungblud, 27, a family friend - with guests understood to be gathering at his mansion in the rural town. Other mourners expected to attend include Metallica frontman James Hetfield, 67, and 78-year-old Sir Elton John. Ozzy had spoken in 2011 about how he imagined his future send-off, telling the Times: '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. 'But I do want to make sure it's a celebration, not a mope-fest. I'd also like some pranks - maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin, or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of "death". 'There'll be no harping on the bad times. 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".' And he wrote in his autobiography I Am Ozzy, published in 2010: 'Eventually death will come, like it comes to everyone. 'I've said to Sharon: "Don't cremate me, whatever you do." I want to be put in the ground, in a nice garden somewhere, with a tree planted over my head. 'A crabapple tree, preferably, so the kids can make wine out of me and get p***ed out of their heads. 'As for what they'll put on my headstone, I ain't under any illusions. If I close my eyes, I can already see it. Ozzy Osbourne, born 1948. Died, whenever. He bit the head off a bat.' As things have transpired, huge crowds gathered along the route hours in advance of Wednesday's 1pm start to pay their respects to the Prince of Darkness whose hits included Paranoid and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. The hearse carrying the singer's coffin - adorned with purple flowers spelling out 'Ozzy' - had 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. The Jaguar hearse and six Mercedes funeral cars, accompanied by police motorcycle riders and a police car, drove slowly along the street watched by a handful of fans and the current owner of the house. 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. Elsewhere in London, the Coldstream Guards payed tribute to the heavy metal legend at the changing of the guard by performing their own rendition of his hit-song Paranoid. Fans have left heartfelt messages and floral tributes around the Black Sabbath mural on Navigation Street in recent days to honour the heavy metal star who was born in the Aston area of Birmingham. Members of the public have also signed a book of condolences, opened by Birmingham Museum And Art Gallery, which is currently holding an exhibition titled Ozzy Osbourne (1948-2025): Working Class Hero. While organising the procession, Birmingham City Council collaborated with the Osbourne family, who funded all of the associated costs. Ahead of today's follow-up service, the Sun quoted a source as saying: 'Singer Yungblud, who became close with Ozzy in recent years, is going to give a reading. 'His Sabbath bandmates, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler, will be there, along with James Hetfield from Metallica. 'Elton John is also hoping to join the family at the church. 'Sharon and his family have been so touched by messages they received not only from Ozzy's friends, but also his fans around the world.' Osbourne and his Black Sabbath bandmates - Butler with the nickname 'Geezer', Iommi and Ward - were recently given the freedom of the city of Birmingham, which recognises people's exceptional service to the city. The group, which formed in 1968, are widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal. Osbourne, who also had a successful solo career, found a new legion of fans when he appeared in the noughties reality TV series The Osbournes, starring alongside his wife Sharon and two youngest children, Kelly and Jack. The music star, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019, performed his last gig on July 5 in a concert that also saw performances from the likes of Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N' Roses. 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.' 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. 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.' He is survived by his wife Sharon and his five children Jessica, Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack. Daily Mail revealed last Wednesday 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 was considering now burying Ozzy in the gardens of the 350-acre estate in an intimate family funeral. 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. By 1970, Black Sabbath - originally going by the name of Earth - had gained a huge following in the US and UK with the release of their first album. Ozzy quit the band in 1978 and four years later divorced his first wife Thelma Mayfair, with whom he had two children, amid his ongoing substance abuse problems. He went on to marry second wife Sharon, 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. Kelly wore Ozzy's trademark purple glasses in a heartbreaking nod to her father at his funeral procession today
Rhyl Journal
35 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Peaky Blinders creator says Ozzy Osbourne's music is ‘the Birmingham soundtrack'
The 65-year-old, who grew up in the Birmingham area and whose BBC crime drama is set in the city, told the PA news agency that the procession, which saw Osbourne's family travel through Birmingham with his hearse, saw an 'outpouring of love' for the singer and the city from fans who gathered on the route. Knight told PA: 'He and Tony Iommi, and Geezer (Butler), and all of those people, I don't know whether people know that they're from a pretty tough part of town and they had quite tough lives, and they just sort of decided to do this thing, to make this music. 'The music, it's so Birmingham because they were working in factories, and that work was very, very noisy, I worked occasionally in factories, and there is always a rhythm. 'There's always a dominant machine, it's like, 'bang, bang, bang', and they just turn that into music, and that's why I think it is the Birmingham soundtrack, heavy metal, and then people underestimate how popular metal is all over the world, so it's incredible.' The procession saw Osbourne's widow Sharon, son Jack and daughters Aimee and Kelly stop at the Black Sabbath bench in the city to inspect tributes, with thousands of fans lining the route around Birmingham. Knight's latest project is Built In Birmingham: Brady And The Blues, a new Prime Video series he has worked as executive producer on which focuses on Birmingham City, the football team he supports, and their takeover by American footballer Tom Brady and US businessman Tom Wagner. In the series' first episode, Knight remarks that people from Birmingham 'don't like to shout about' their city. He explains: 'I think amongst Brummies, there's this thing of, 'don't get too big for your boots', and so anybody who starts shouting out about Birmingham will get that reaction, or previously would have got that reaction. 'But I do feel, really do sense the change in the city, and in the population of the city, the people are actually saying, 'well, it's our turn', and it really is.' Knight is best known for his Peaky Blinders series, which follows Tommy Shelby and his Birmingham gang of the series' name, and has covered topics such as the rise of fascism, Irish republican politics and communist activities through the period following the First World War across its six series. The producer was also one of the creators of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and the sole creator of SAS: Rogue Heroes. He is also making a movie in conjunction with Oasis's Live 25 reunion tour. The Built In Birmingham: Brady And The Blues series will launch worldwide on Prime Video on Friday.
