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I lived with Ozzy Osbourne and was with him at farewell gig – I'll always remember what he said about his beloved Sharon

I lived with Ozzy Osbourne and was with him at farewell gig – I'll always remember what he said about his beloved Sharon

The Sun19 hours ago
WHEN I was first told the news that Ozzy Osbourne was dead, I didn't believe it.
The Prince of Darkness, the Godfather of Metal — whatever you want to call him — had always seemed invincible; a larger than life character who filled every room with a star power that came naturally and never went to his head.
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And when I last saw him, just over two weeks ago, he was sitting in his dressing room backstage at Villa Park, waiting to go on for his final live concert with Black Sabbath and fizzing with nerves and excitement.
The progression of Parkinson's disease meant he was in a wheelchair, but mentally he was fired up and full of the quips everyone loved him for.
Following the successful performance, he returned backstage, emotional and exhilarated, to find some of the world's biggest metal stars — Slash, Axl Rose, Metallica etc — waiting outside his dressing room to congratulate him.
It made him tearful with gratitude.
And with him were all those he loved — devoted wife Sharon, their children, Aimee, Jack and Kelly, with all their partners and children, and the various staff that have worked for the couple for decades.
It was a real family affair, so it's some comfort that he got to do that before he died.
As for Sharon, it's hard to know how she'll cope with the loss of her beloved Ozzy.
Back in 2013, I lived with them in LA whilst I was ghost-writing Sharon's memoir Unbreakable.
Every day, at 7am, I'd write up the previous day's notes.
I barely got anything done.
Ozzy would join me in the kitchen and regale me with hilarious stories from his life.
He was naturally funny, and kind.
He always asked you questions about yourself, and walking anywhere with him in public was painfully slow as everyone would want to talk to him, and he'd happily oblige.
One afternoon, we went to a nearby hotel for afternoon tea and a tourist bus taking in the homes of the rich and famous drove past.
Those on board couldn't believe they were seeing an actual celebrity and started screaming and shouting.
Ozzy jumped through a hedge to get away, while Sharon stood clutching her sides with laughter.
It was well know that they had their spats, but Sharon was his world.
He often told me he couldn't live without her.
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It had always been her dream to bring him back to the UK for his retirement years, because he loved it here.
He felt the Brits understood his humour as well as his still strong Brummie accent.
That's why he and Sharon chose Villa Park for the farewell; a mere spit away from the small terraced house in Aston that he grew up in.
He felt at home there, and the crowd patently adored him.
The concert was to be the precursor to him retiring and enjoying a quieter life in the countryside around their Buckinghamshire home.
Sharon had recently updated the house for his needs and he was looking forward to spending time there.
But now he's gone, and as I write these words, I still can't quite believe it. I'm not sure I ever will.
RIP Ozzy, you were a one off.
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Alison Hammond chokes up as she reveals major Ozzy Osbourne regret live on This Morning - admitting 'I feel so, so bad'
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Alison Hammond chokes up as she reveals major Ozzy Osbourne regret live on This Morning - admitting 'I feel so, so bad'

Alison Hammond was overcome with emotion as she revealed her major Ozzy Osbourne regret live on This Morning. The rocker died on Tuesday, aged 76, just weeks after he took to the stage for his final show with Black Sabbath, with his family confirming the sad news in a statement. During Wednesday's instalment of the ITV show, Alison, 50, revealed that the music legend's son, Jack, 39, had invited her to what turned out to be his final gig in their shared hometown of Birmingham at Villa Park, but she missed the text message. She said: 'It's so so sad. Do you wanna know something? I had a message from Jack saying, "Come to the concert." I didn't see the message. 'He said, "My mum wants to extend the invitation." I didn't see the message, and literally, I looked at it today and I missed it.' On the verge of tears, the Big Brother legend admitted: 'I feel so, so bad because I could've gone to see him. I'm so sad. But I did watch the concert and I thought it was unbelievable.' Later on Loose Women, Jane Moore, 63, who is a close friend to the Osbourne's, shared her insight into Ozzy and Sharon's marriage after living with them for a brief period of time. The panellist and journalist lived with the Osbourne family for two weeks while ghost writing Sharon's memoir, Unbreakable. And during Wednesday's instalment of the ITV show, Jane reminisced on her friendship with Ozzy. After sharing that she initially thought his death was 'another online hoax', she gave viewers an insight into the couple's marriage. Jane shared: 'I had this sort of plan that I would wake up very early in the morning, about 7:00am, get yesterday's notes written up while the house was quiet before the next day started. 'But Ozzy always used to get up early as well, and he would sit talking to me and because I trained as a journalist in Birmingham, I'm quite used to the Birmingham accent, so I could understand him. 'It was still quite strong, and a lot of people in LA just didn't understand a word he was saying. 'So, he was quite pleased that there was somebody there that could he could chat away with, and he had so many funny stories. You know, and they had a tempestuous marriage over the years. She said: 'It's so so sad. Do you wanna know something? I had a message from Jack saying, "Come to the concert." I didn't see the message, She continued: 'I did a tour with Sharon last year. She did, like, a talk show on stage where I was the person interviewing her, and I asked her some incredibly honest questions. 'I mean, she's probably the most honest person I've ever interviewed in my life, and she just sort of told these stories, very matter of factly, but freely admitted they were co-dependent. 'She said, "I can't live without him and he can't live without me." And he used to say that to me all the time. He used to say, "without Sharon, I would be dead", and that's absolutely true, you know, because she saved him from himself so many times over the years. 'And, you know, a lot of people would look at it and go, "oh, you know, it's a bit rock and roll, and it's, dysfunctional family," but they're not really, you know, at the heart of it, there's this incredible love and loyalty for each other.' The Black Sabbath frontman performed from a throne on stage at Villa Park in Birmingham less than three weeks ago. In a sad statement confirming his death, his family said on Tuesday evening: '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.' The rocker was able to bid an emotional farewell to his fans on stage this month as he reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005. 'You've no idea how I feel - thank you from the bottom of my heart,' Osbourne told the crowd in his final speech. The music legend vowed, however, that it would be his final ever performance due to his health, having opened up about his battle with Parkinson's in 2020. Ozzy revealed earlier this year that he could no longer walk amid his six-year battle with Parkinson's disease. However, he still managed to reunite with his bandmates Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward for their final gig earlier this month. 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, whom he had two children with, four years later, amid his ongoing substance abuse problems. He went on to marry his 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.

Ozzy Osbourne's heartbreaking final texts to sister revealed days before death
Ozzy Osbourne's heartbreaking final texts to sister revealed days before death

Metro

time16 minutes ago

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Ozzy Osbourne's heartbreaking final texts to sister revealed days before death

Ozzy Osbourne's sister has opened up about the plans the rocker made in the final days before his death. The Black Sabbath frontman – real name John Osbourne – died on July 22 at the age of 76, with his family sharing a statement confirming the news. His death came just weeks after he appeared on stage for the final time, during the Back to the Beginning concert in Birmingham. Speaking about her loss, Jean Osbourne reflected on seeing his last performance earlier this month, and his desire to return to their hometown again. 'He was frail but it still came as a shock,' his sibling said in a new interview. 'He still had plans and things he wanted to do. We don't know the details of his death, it's still too early. It's just so sad.' Ozzy delighted fans when he appeared on a throne on stage at the Back to the Beginning event, and performed a short solo for the crowd. 'It's so good to be on this stage. You have no idea,' he said, thanking those who had gathered at the stadium 'from the bottom of [his] heart. 'You have no idea how I feel.' Recalling their final day together, she continued to the Mirror: 'We had an executive box in the stadium, and when I saw the sea of people waiting to see our John, I just broke down. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video 'We didn't really get a chance to chat much because it was such a chaotic visit. But in his last text to me he said he would be coming to Birmingham again. 'He said 'I can't wait to come back. We were hoping to see him this week.'' Ozzy, who was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2019, grew up in Birmingham and was one of six siblings – alongside Jean, Gillian, Paul, Iris and Tony. His eldest sister explained that the rocker messaged them while travelling to the concert, as he was 'blown away' by the crowds walking down the street where they used to live, on their journey to Aston Villa's stadium. 'Of the six siblings there's only three of us left now – me, Gillian and our brother Paul,' she added. 'We just can't believe he is gone and we won't be getting another phone call or text from him. 'Every week without fail he would get in touch, either by phone or text, to ask how we were all doing and what was going on.' Ozzy's death left the music world in mourning, with stars lining up to pay tribute to the rock legend on social media. More Trending His family, including wife Sharon Osbourne, confirmed the news in a heartfelt statement yesterday, which read: '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.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: What really happened the night Ozzy Osbourne ripped a bat's head off with his teeth MORE: Bizarre theory around Trisha Paytas' superhero-inspired name of third baby MORE: 'Unfiltered and charmingly chaotic': How The Osbournes redefined reality TV forever

Charlotte Otton: the 10 funniest things I have ever seen (on the internet)
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