Ozzy Osbourne was reportedly laid to rest earlier today (Thursday, July 31) at the grounds of his mansion in Buckinghamshire, England.
According to Daily Mail, the private service at the 250-acre estate was attended by Ozzy‘s family members, as well as Elton John and Ozzy‘s BLACK SABBATH bandmates, Marilyn Manson and members of METALLICA, among other close friends and relatives.
A huge floral arrangement in the grounds of the mansion spelled out a tribute to the legendary heavy metal singer, with the words “Ozzy Fucking Osbourne” on the banks of the Osbourne lake.
An insider told The Sun that British singer Yungblud — whose real name is Dominic Harrison — would give a reading at Ozzy‘s funeral.
Yungblud became friends with Ozzy and Ozzy‘s wife/manager Sharon Osbourne after they appeared in the music video for his 2022 song “The Funeral”.
After Ozzy‘s death, Elton called Osbourne a “dear friend” who “secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods”.
Back in 2011, Ozzy spoke about what he wanted his funeral to look like, telling The Times: “I 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’.”
Ozzy also addressed his death in his 2010 autobiography “I Am Ozzy”. He wrote at the time: ‘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 pissed 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.'”
On Wednesday, July 30, Ozzy fans had a chance to pay their respects to the BLACK SABBATH legend as his funeral cortège traveled through his original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. The event also gave his family the opportunity to see the flowers, tributes and other memories his fans had left around the city.
Ozzy and his fellow BLACK SABBATH bandmembers Terence “Geezer” Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward were given the Freedom Of The City on June 28 in Birmingham.
Ozzy died the morning of July 22, his family announced 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,” the family said.
No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson’s disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.
Ozzy‘s death came a little more than two weeks after he took the stage for his final performance with BLACK SABBATH at Villa Park in the band’s original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. They performed four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.
Formed in Birmingham in 1968, BLACK SABBATH is widely recognized as one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, with a career spanning decades and over 75 million albums sold worldwide. Their impact on the genre remains as significant today as it was in the early 1970s, with their music shaping generations of metal musicians.
Ozzy‘s family reality television show “The Osbournes” won a 2002 Primetime Emmy.
In 2006, Osbourne and the other members of the original BLACK SABBATH were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Ozzy was also inducted into the Rock Hall as a solo artist in 2024.
Osbourne won several Grammys, including one in 1993 for his solo song “I Don’t Want To Change The World”.
Ozzy and Sharon started their annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what at the time was the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. The first traveling version of Ozzfest in 1997 included MARILYN MANSON and PANTERA as part of the lineup.
Osbourne leaves behind his wife, three children from his first marriage (including an adopted son from his first wife’s previous relationship),and three with Sharon: Jack, Kelly and Aimee.
Photo credit: Ross Halfin
