A private funeral service for Ozzy Osbourne was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife and manager Sharon bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer’s friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).
Trujillo reflected on the service during an August 7 appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It was a small group of people, but it was very, very beautiful. And in the end, the speeches were actually… I mean, it was very sad, but at the same time some of the speeches were — as you could imagine — pretty funny. And there were a lot of tears. [The members of] SABBATH kind of ended with their speech, especially with [bassist] Geezer [Butler]. Geezer broke down into tears. He had a hard time, obviously, speaking, and then he came back up and he delivered an amazing eulogy.”
Trujillo continued: “It had been raining at the beginning of the service, about an hour — I don’t know — longer than an hour before. And then as it sort of progressed through the service, the weather would change and different things would happen. When Kelly [Osbourne, Ozzy and Sharon‘s daughter] was singing, her lyrics flew — the wind blew her lyrics away. It was almost like Ozzy was having fun with her. And then when Geezer spoke, actually spoke, the sun came out. I’m not kidding. The sun actually came out, and then it was beautiful from that moment on — a very magical moment.
“And again, it’s sad, but at the same time, people [were] sharing stories,” Robert added. “And all of a sudden, there was laughter, and ‘I remember this’, ‘I remember that’. There were so many stories. I mean, we’d be on the phone forever on this interview. So, it felt like there was a closure from this. And I’m glad that we went — my wife Chloe and I went — and shared that and were able to have that moment with the family and everything. So it was very beautiful. And again, heartfelt words from so many people and kind of reconnecting with different musicians and bandmates, crew members, all that.”
The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. His wife and manager Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.
According to The New York Times, Ozzy died of a heart attack. A death certificate filed at a registry in London and submitted by Osbourne‘s daughter Aimée Rose Osbourne also indicates that the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer had suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease. The certificate, which lists his occupation as “Songwriter, Performer and Rock Legend”, further states that Osbourne died of “(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes),” according to The New York Times. The document also says that the heart attack occurred “out of hospital.”
Two days after Ozzy‘s death, Daily Mail reported that an air ambulance was called to Welders House, the BLACK SABBATH singer’s mansion in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom mansion, on the morning of July 22. Just 15 minutes later, at 10:30 a.m., the chopper landed in a field near the Osbourne estate. Around 12:30 p.m., the paramedics returned to their base 27 miles away at RAF Benson, near Wallingford, South Oxfordshire.
“We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday,” a spokesperson for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance wrote to the Daily Mail.
Ozzy‘s 85-year-old sister Jean Powell also spoke to The Mirror about the singer’s death and said that it was unexpected. “He was frail but it still came as a shock,” she said. “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. I’m just thankful he died in England.”
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.
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.
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.'”
Ozzy played his final show a month ago at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. At the time he told fans: “You’ve no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Ozzy‘s final concert saw him and his fellow original SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward perform four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. The festival titled “Back To The Beginning” served as a tribute to the legendary heavy metal act, including additional performances from such other groups as METALLICA, GUNS N’ ROSES, SLAYER, TOOL, PANTERA and ALICE IN CHAINS. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.
In a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, Osbourne said he would “die a happy man” if he could perform one more show to express his gratitude to his fans from the stage.
“If I can’t continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, ‘Hi, guys. Thanks so much for my life.’ That’s what I’m working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man,” he said at the time.
When Ozzy announced that he was retiring from touring in 2023, he said in a statement: “In all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/U.K. tour dates, as I know I couldn”t deal with the travel required. Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really fucks me up, more than you will ever know. Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way.”
Osbourne leaves behind his wife, Sharon, and their children, Aimée, Kelly and Jack, as well his two older children, Jessica and Louis, from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, and grandchildren.
Photo credit: Ross Halfin
