Ozzy Osbourne dies two weeks after final Black Sabbath reunion concert
The heavy metal band were the last to appear on stage as part of a star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park, Birmingham, not far from the Crown pub where they played their first gig in 1968.
At the start of his solo performance, Osbourne entered the stage by rising on a large black throne through a trap door, wearing his signature black attire and thick eye make-up.
He started the set by saying: 'Let me hear you. Are you ready? Let the madness begin!'
Later, he told the crowd: 'It's so good to be on this f****** stage. You have no idea. I f****** love you all. Let me see your hands in the air. You are the best, each and every one of you. God bless you all.'
In an emotional moment, he added: 'I don't know what to say, man, I've been laid up for, like, six years. You have no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.
'You're all f****** special. Let's go crazy, come on.'
The rocker sang five songs in his own set, with fans waving torches from their phones during Mama, I'm Coming Home.
He finished his performance with Crazy Train, before confetti rained over a packed Villa Park.
Ozzy Osbourne performs on stage during the Closing Ceremony for the 2022 Commonwealth Games at the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham (David Davies/PA)
After a short break, he re-entered the stage to join the rest of Black Sabbath for the first time in 20 years.
The band performed some of their greatest hits, ending with a rendition of Paranoid.
Fans chanted 'Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy' as the rock great thanked and blew kisses to those in attendance, before departing in an emotional ending to cap an illustrious career on stage.
In one of the messages displayed before his performance, Sir Elton John told Osbourne: 'You are one of the most remarkable singers of our time.
'You are the king, you are the legend. You've been through so much crap in the last few years – I hope this is the best day of your life so far.'
Personal videos from dozens of fans were also broadcast at the event, in which they credited Osbourne and Black Sabbath for inventing heavy metal and thanked them for their generational influence on music.
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The Sun
28 minutes ago
- The Sun
I met Ozzy Osbourne at his home after he'd quit boozing – he then offered me a beer at 10am, says Sun photo legend
WANDERING the grounds of his Buckinghamshire mansion, Ozzy Osbourne turned to his friend Dave Hogan and said: 'Do you know what? I'd forgotten we even had this house.' It was 2006, and the Black Sabbath frontman and his wife Sharon had spent so much time filming MTV reality show The Osbournes in LA, they hadn't returned to the estate in Little Chalfont for several years. 7 7 7 Today, their pal — legendary Sun photographer Dave — reveals how Ozzy, who died on Tuesday aged 76, was one of the most down-to-earth, funny and welcoming celebrities he ever met in his long career. The snapper, affectionately known in the showbiz world as Hogie, recalls: 'That day, he really did make me laugh. "I was taking his picture for The Sun, but he didn't want the house shown as they'd been burgled there so didn't want to feature the actual property. 'Instead, we went into the grounds. He suddenly stopped, looked around and said how he'd forgotten they even owned it. 'It was the kind of thing he would just come out with.' Dave added of Ozzy, who revealed in 2020 that he had Parkinson's disease 'He was great company, a lovely man. 'There was no filter, he was just honest. He spoke what he thought and that was it.' Ozzy's family announced the heavy metal legend had died 'surrounded by love' at the Grade II listed mansion in Welders, Bucks, that they bought in 1993. Recently, the Osbournes built a 'rehab' wing on the sprawling estate, which included a health and welfare exercise studio, art studio room, pool house and spa. Hogie first met Ozzy — known as the Prince of Darkness — in Los Angeles in 1988. But when he arrived at the family's American mansion, he was stunned to find the star had chopped off his trademark, long, flowing locks. Describing his first encounter with the Black Sabbath icon, Hogie says: 'Obviously they were a huge band, but as heavy metal wasn't huge for The Sun, I didn't photograph him until the late Eighties. 'When he opened the door and had cut all his hair off, I was a bit shocked. But the pictures were great, he was amazing on camera, he knew how to perform.' Sharon was there too, together with Kelly, now 40, and Jack, 39, who were toddlers at the time. Hogie says: 'They were very welcoming and the kids were really cute. 'We started to chat but, after a little while, Sharon said that they had to go and pick their older daughter Aimee up from nursery. "The housekeeper was there, but they asked me to help keep an eye on the kids while they went to collect her. 'He kept pouring beer' 'They were just a normal, down-to-earth couple.' Hogie says that over the years, that never changed — but the dynamic did. He explains: 'I remember flying over to LA to do a shoot with them and the focus for the pictures then was Sharon. But Ozzy didn't care. "In fact he loved it. It was like he was her sidekick, her butler; whatever he was, they were a team. 'And within minutes of me being there, he said, 'Dave, do you want a drink?'. 'I knew he was a reformed alcoholic, so I thought it was a bit odd, but Sharon said, 'Just let him pour you a drink, he likes to pour drinks for other people'. It was about 10am and the last thing I wanted was a beer, but I said yes. 'And he opened a can and poured me this perfect pint. I couldn't drink it as I wouldn't have been able to do my job properly. 'But that didn't stop Ozzy. He kept pouring drinks of beer. They were all over the kitchen. He was the perfect host. Some people are not so welcoming, but he was amazing. He made you feel at home.' 7 Ozzy's issues with alcoholism and drug addiction began in the 1970s and got him booted from Black Sabbath in 1979. But he grew serious about his sobriety around 2014, after numerous failed attempts at rehab and recovery dating back to 1984. In a recent interview, he told The Sun that he once downed 28 gallons of booze to get through the Christmas season. Hogie says: 'I never saw him drinking. But even though he had stopped all of that, he was still up for a great time. 'I remember, after one MTV Awards, he got a group of people together to carry on partying. Imagine what a night out with Ozzy would have been like. Dave Hogan 'There was him and Grace Jones and a few others. Sharon said to me, 'I'm going home, I've given him £500 to go out. You go with him, you'll have a great time'. 'But I couldn't. I had to send the photos in from the night. 'But it is a regret — imagine what a night out with Ozzy would have been like.' Hogie pictured the rock 'n' roll legend when he was on stage, too, and says he was a 'born performer', adding: 'He was just great to watch, he would really come alive. I loved photographing him backstage, too. 'After he'd knocked all the drink and drugs on its head, he would be going for it with weights and sitting on his exercise bike. 'It really was a case of, 'Well done, mate,' to be able to change the way he did and try to focus on fitness instead of booze and drugs. 7 7 'Despite how famous and successful he was, he was never flash.' Ozzy died just weeks after a farewell show at which he reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates on stage at Villa Park. Performing atop a throne, he told 42,000 adoring fans: 'You've no idea how I feel — thank you from the bottom of my heart.' Some of his favourite acts also played, including Metallica and Guns N' Roses. Ozzy and his fellow original Black Sabbath members — Tony Iommi, Terence 'Geezer' Butler and Bill Ward — had reunited for the first time in 20 years. Hogie says: 'What a legacy. And Sharon helped organise it, too. 'They were a wonderful couple. Ozzy was always there for his wife and she is going to miss him. 'There are not many people like Ozzy left in this world. A true legend. He is one of the greats. 'One of the people you remember where you were when he died. I'm proud I could call him a friend.'
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Daily Mirror
Kelly Osbourne shares sweet 'best ever' moment with dad Ozzy days after death
Kelly Osbourne continues to mourn the death of her father, Ozzy Osbourne, and took to social media to share a sweet moment between the pair that was labelled "one of the best Ozzy moments ever' As the world comes to terms with the tragic death of Ozzy Osbourne, his daughter Kelly Osbourne has shared one of her favourite moments with her iconic dad. In an Instagram upload, the 40-year-old shows off the father and daughter duo enjoying a touching moment in a post labelled: "One of the best Ozzy moments ever!" The clip was reshared on Kelly's Instagram Stories and showed the family members enjoying a road trip together. In the upload, which came from realityTV show Jack & Ozzy's World Detour, Kelly takes to the driver's seat of the huge campervan. As Ozzy enters and sits in the passenger seat, wearing his usual dark attire, Kelly tells him she has a "song in my head and I'm going to have to play it for you". The Prince of Darkness appears intrigued as his daughter sets up the song. While Ozzy is strapping himself in for the ride, George Ezra's tune Paradise begins playing over the vehicle's speakers. Kelly begins singing along as her dad listens intently. After a short while it appears as though the tune has caught the Black Sabbath man's attention as he begins to dance and bounce in his seat. Beaming a sweet smile in Kelly's direction as she continues to sing the pair are then seen in a cute moment as they both dance together on the journey, copying each other's hand movements. The clip ends with Kelly heard telling her dad she loves him. "I love you more," he sweetly responds. Ozzy died earlier in the week aged 76 after a battle with Parkinson's disease. Days after his death was announced, Kelly broke her social media silence with a heartbreaking comment. In her upload, she described the rock legend as "the best friend I ever had". The father and daughter were inseparable, with Kelly staying by her father's side during his final days. Just two days before his death, she shared a heartwarming video of the musician and his grandson - her young son - at the breakfast table. Kelly wrote on Instagram: "I feel so unhappy I am so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had." The reference is a line from his hit tune Changes. In 2003, Kelly and Ozzy re-recorded the track together. The song was co-written by Ozzy with his bandmates and was first released by Black Sabbath in 1972. Kelly's version with her dad revised the lyrics to reflect her bond with her dad. The song was a No. 1 hit in the U.K., and they became just the second father-daughter pair to top the charts, after Frank and Nancy Sinatra in 1967. A source shared with People about Ozzy's last moments. They said: "Ozzy's final days were spent in England, surrounded by family, music and in the place he called home. He was in peace."
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Ozzy Osbourne's 'uncensored' final autobiography to be published months after death - with wife Sharon 'set to write emotional foreword'
's final and most revealing autobiography will be published later this year in October. The book, titled Last Rites, was completed shortly before Ozzy passed awa yaged 76 and offers fans an unfiltered look into the highs and lows of his life, including the infamous affair that nearly destroyed his marriage to Sharon Osbourne. It has been reported that the memoir will deep dive into the Black Sabbath frontman's 2012–2016 relationship with hairstylist Michelle Pugh. At the time, the revelation rocked his marriage, and Sharon, then 63, was left blindsided and heartbroken. Speaking about the pain it caused, Sharon later revealed in an emotional interview that the betrayal pushed her to attempt to take her own life. She confessed: 'I took, I don't know how many pills.' 'I just thought, 'my kids are older, they are fine and can take care of themselves.'' Ozzy's book doesn't shy away from this dark chapter. In fact, it is thought a large portion of the memoir is dedicated to the guilt and remorse he felt over the affair, and how it nearly cost him everything. A source told The Sun: 'This book was basically Ozzy's last confessions and contains a lot of passages about how he is sorry for the affair. 'As he was always brutally honest during his life, it's been decided not a word will be changed, even about painful times in his life and how his affair affected Sharon.' Despite the deeply personal content, Last Rites is also expected to be a celebration of Ozzy's iconic legacy. Described as 'unflinching, brutally honest, but surprisingly life-affirming,' the book will span everything from his wild years with Black Sabbath, to his battle with addiction, to his final return to the stage for his globally streamed Back to the Beginning concert, which reunited him with his original bandmates. It has also been rumoured that Sharon will be asked to write a foreword for the book. Although it is still early days in terms of Sharon's grieving process, it is thought she has agreed in principle to write the book's foreword. The source continued: 'Sharon is made of stern stuff and the publishers know she will want to leave her fingerprint on this book. 'Writing its foreword will also be cathartic for her and act as a way of laying Ozzy to rest.' MailOnline has contacted book publishers Sphere, Little Brown Book Company and Hachette for comment. The memoir's cover has already been unveiled, showing a prayerful Ozzy with his hands held up to his face, and the design echoes the book's tone – part confession, part celebration, and part farewell. Throughout the book, Ozzy reflects on the chaos and triumphs of his life with characteristic bluntness and humour. In one particularly poignant moment, he writes: 'People say to me, if you could do it all again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? I'm like, f*** no. If I'd been clean and sober, I wouldn't be Ozzy. If I'd done normal, sensible things, I wouldn't be Ozzy.' He adds, 'Look, if it ends tomorrow, I can't complain. I've been all around the world. Seen a lot of things. I've done good... and I've done bad. But right now, I'm not ready to go anywhere.' 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. The crew were airborne for around 15 minutes before landing in the grounds of the mansion and were then with Ozzy for around two hours, trying but failing to save his life, it's understood. 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.
