Sharon Osbourne: 'I visit Ozzy's grave every day'

Death three weeks after his farewell concert

Fifteen months have passed since the death of Ozzy Osbourne, who died at the age of 76 at his home in Buckinghamshire. According to BBC News, despite years of health problems, including Parkinson's disease and a fractured vertebra, his death came as a shock: less than three weeks earlier he had taken the stage in Birmingham for his farewell concert. That morning Ozzy got up early and came downstairs for his usual morning workout, and shortly afterwards he suffered a heart attack. An air ambulance helicopter was called, paramedics tried to save him, but it was too late.

Sharon's last hours and words

Sharon Osbourne told BBC News that the night before, they had been talking: Ozzy asked her to kiss him twice, and then said, 'hold me tight.' 'And then I wake up early in the morning, and someone runs into the room saying:

The funeral and the grave in the family garden

Before the funeral thousands of people lined the streets of Birmingham, laying flowers and singing Black Sabbath songs, as the hearse carrying the musician's body passed through his home city. Sharon says such an outpouring of love would have baffled Ozzy himself — 'he would have said: what's wrong with you lot? Go home!' The cards and messages from fans were collected, sorted and photographed, and the flowers were composted for the garden of the family estate, where Ozzy is buried. 'I simply could not put Ozzy in a public cemetery — I have seen what happens to other public figures, there is no peace there,' she explains. Asked whether she visits often, Sharon replied: 'Of course, every day. I can see him from my window,' adding that she still talks to him regularly.

A relationship spanning more than half a century

Ozzy and Sharon met in 1970 and married in 1982. Their relationship, as BBC News notes, was turbulent: in 1989 he was arrested for attempted murder of his wife (she withdrew the charges), and in 2016 they briefly separated amid rumours of infidelity, but always maintained that they were kindred spirits. 'It was an extraordinary relationship — such highs and such terrible lows,' Sharon admits, adding that at the end of his life he knew how much he was loved.

The film Back To The Beginning and the concert that nearly didn't happen

The musician's final months are chronicled in a new documentary, Back To The Beginning, about the final concert at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, where Ozzy reunited with Black Sabbath. The film features more than 25 songs performed, including his solo set and the band's entire performance. In behind-the-scenes footage, colleagues speak of his influence: Metallica frontman James Hetfield declares, 'No Sabbath, no Metallica. Simple as that,' while Yungblud, whose version of Changes became one of the emotional high points of the concert, recalls that Ozzy's embrace of madness and individuality gave him hope as a child.

Doctors advised against it, but he performed

The concert, according to Sharon, was Ozzy's final wish, but it almost never happened. Six months before the show he fell and fractured vertebrae, suffered pneumonia three times, and after back surgery contracted sepsis and nearly died. Two weeks before the performance, doctors came to their home and, Sharon recalls, told them: 'You can't do this. We advise against it. Your heart is too weak.' Despite this, Ozzy performed seated on a throne — with a look full of life and a powerful voice. Backstage, Sharon admits, 'the whole family was terrified,' but when he walked out onto the stage, something changed: 'He was looking at the screen where everyone was performing and saying: I can't believe they're all here.' After the show, according to his widow, he was eager to go on tour. 'He was just soaring for those last 17 days. It was beautiful. It was joyful,' she concluded.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images