logo
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 Sun3 days 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.
8
8
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.
8
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.
8
8
8
8
8
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Kelly Osbourne pays tribute to 'best friend' Ozzy - in first comments since his death
Kelly Osbourne pays tribute to 'best friend' Ozzy - in first comments since his death

Sky News

time27 minutes ago

  • Sky News

Kelly Osbourne pays tribute to 'best friend' Ozzy - in first comments since his death

Kelly Osbourne has commented on the death of her father Ozzy Osbourne for the first time since he died on Tuesday. The figurehead of heavy metal died aged 76, just a few weeks after performing a huge farewell show with his Black Sabbath bandmates in Birmingham, where the band was formed in 1968. After the show, Kelly got engaged to her longtime partner and musician Sid Wilson, of the band Slipknot, after he got down on one knee backstage. After the frontman passed away on Tuesday, the Osbourne family released a joint statement that 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." 7:56 In her first comments since losing her father, Kelly wrote on Instagram: "I feel unhappy I am so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had," followed by a broken heart emoji. She was quoting lyrics from the 1972 Black Sabbath song Changes. The father and daughter were famously close, appearing on The Osbournes reality TV show together and covering the song Changes as a duet in 2003. "That song stands for so much in our family and to me and Dad," Kelly said on the TV show Ozzy & Jack's World Detour, starring her brother, Jack. "It was not only both of our first number one [single] in the UK, it represented a time in my life and a time in Dad's life, it represented our relationship and how much we loved each other." Black Sabbath are widely credited with having invented heavy metal, but the piano ballad Changes widely deviated from their usual guitar and drum-heavy style. 0:58 The band Coldplay also used the song to pay tribute to Ozzy this week, playing a stripped back, short version of Changes in a show in Nashville, Tennessee. After the song, frontman Chris Martin said: "Ozzy, we love you, wherever you're going."

Ozzy Osbourne is doting grandad in touching family photos shared after icon's sad death
Ozzy Osbourne is doting grandad in touching family photos shared after icon's sad death

Daily Record

timean hour ago

  • Daily Record

Ozzy Osbourne is doting grandad in touching family photos shared after icon's sad death

Jack Osbourne's ex-wife Lisa Stelly shared some sweet family photos showing the bond the Black Sabbath legend had with his grandchildren Jack Osbourne's ex-wife has posted touching family snaps, showing the heartfelt connection Ozzy Osbourne shared with his grandkids. The Black Sabbath icon had taken to the stage one final time just weeks before his death. ‌ The news of Ozzy 's passing struck a chord with people around the world as his death at the age of 76 was announced on Tuesday, July 22. He leaves behind wife Sharon, his six kids, and his beloved grandchildren. ‌ Ozzy's siblings have expressed their heartbreak at their brother's passing, describing him as "loving and funny". A family statement, signed by Sharon, Kelly, Aimee, Jack and Louis, announced: "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's previous Black Sabbath bandmates have also released emotional tributes. Lisa Stelly, who was formerly married to Osbourne's son Jack, has honoured the rock legend and posted a heartwarming collection of Instagram photos on Thursday, reports the Mirror. ‌ The photos show close relationship and bond Ozzy had with his grandchildren. Jack has three young kids with ex-partner Lisa - daughters Pearl, 13, Andy, 10, and Minnie, seven. Lisa reflected on the huge impact Ozzy had on her family's life, sharing precious photographs of him beaming with joy alongside his grandchildren. In the heartfelt caption, Lisa said: "The world got Ozzy. We got Papa. One of one. Larger than life. It hurts to say goodbye, but what a gift it was to have him. We will never stop missing you." ‌ One Instagram follower replied: "Ozzy loves those kids so much, loved watching them with them on the show," whilst another added: "I'm so sorry for your loss. You can feel the love he had for you and those precious girls." In one touching image, Ozzy gazed lovingly at one of his grandchildren whilst lying on a bed as she appeared ready to give him a kiss. Another showed him cradling Pearl, who was captured smiling from ear to ear whilst clutching a flower. ‌ Aside from sharing Ozzy's tender moments with his grandchildren, Lisa also highlighted his devotion to animals as she posted footage of her cat snuggled contentedly on the rocker's chest. Yesterday, Ozzy's daughter Kelly posted a devastating message after losing her father, writing: "I feel unhappy I am so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had." Ozzy was adored not only by his family and friends but also by thousands of fans who have been leaving tributes outside his Buckinghamshire home. Flowers and heartfelt messages have been placed outside the gates, along with half-drunk pints and beer bottles. Candles have also been left as mourners raise a toast to the star on Birmingham's Black Sabbath bridge.

Ozzy Osbourne was 'ready to go' after battling physical torment and trauma, says pal
Ozzy Osbourne was 'ready to go' after battling physical torment and trauma, says pal

Daily Mirror

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mirror

Ozzy Osbourne was 'ready to go' after battling physical torment and trauma, says pal

Ozzy Osbourne's long term friend Steve Jones, who was the guitarist of The Sex Pistols, has opened up about his final weeks Rock icon Ozzy Osbourne battled through physical torment and trauma to stay alive for his farewell concert - days before his death. Ozzy was struggling to cope with the daily pain of living with back, neck and leg pain as well as Parkinson's disease as he worked on his farewell appearance. ‌ Long term friend Steve Jones, who was the guitarist of T he Sex Pistols, gave this heart breaking assessment of the Birmingham singer's life issues. ‌ Jones talked highly of 'pioneer' Ozzy, who often had him in hysterics with his comedic nature and love of dropping f bombs. Reflecting on his death, he said: 'I knew Oz, he was a legend and he was brilliant. It is sad, but I think he was holding on until he got that Aston Villa last show out of it, and I think he just said, okay, 'I'm ready to go'. ‌ 'So I don't think he was having any quality of life. Ozzy, I think I would've probably wanted to go if my life was physically like his.' He likened Ozzy's drive to perform with Black Sabbath and his solo tracks at the Back to the Beginning show at Villa Park to another pal's departure. ‌ 'It reminded me of when Johnny Ramon was living in LA and I was there and I had a radio show there too. It was a similar thing where he had this one show he wanted to have people do an ode to him. He wasn't there, but he was watching it, Once that was over he let it go and died a couple of days later. ' Jones , returning to tour the States with the Sex Pistols in the next few weeks, spoke of how much joy Ozzy brought to people's lives. 'He was one of the funniest guys. We had such a riot when he'd ever come on my radio show, If you could stop him from effing and blinding, he was great.' ‌ Jonesy laughed about how working with Ozzy on radio was always problematic for his radio chiefs. He told Radio Surrey: 'It was live, I couldn't care less, to be honest with you. I wasn't the one getting fined.' Ozzy died on Tuesday, just over two weeks after his Back to the Beginning farewell show. He had spoken of his hope to spend more time with his family after the gig as he tried to enjoy his final days, but in reality had very little time left. A statement from his family said: "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."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store