Jack Osbourne opened up about the death of his father , Ozzy Osbourne . Through a video posted on YouTube last Wednesday, August 3rd, Jack revealed how he learned of his father's death on July 22nd at Harefield Hospital in London.
Jack revealed [transcription via Blabbermouth ]: “I left the UK on July 13th. I came back home to Los Angeles and, yes, my dad was great. He was in good spirits. He was happy. On July 22nd, I woke up in Los Angeles to a knock on my door at around 3:45 am. Someone who had worked for my family for probably 30 years was knocking on my door, and when I looked out the window and saw it was him, I just knew something bad had happened. And I was informed that my father had passed away.”
Jack also spoke about his initial reaction to learning of Ozzy : “I immediately — I don’t know — felt pain, sadness, and grief, and so many thoughts. You go through this feeling of being sad, frustrated, and angry, and this part of you thinks, ‘I need to get there right now. I need to get there.’ […] I wanted him to still be here, I wanted him to still be with us, but he was going through a difficult time. And I think people saw that at the show [ Back To The Beginning ]. But nobody expected it to happen so quickly. And when it happened, it wasn’t something that was on our radar. I know that, before that, there was all sorts of stuff circulating about my dad going to Switzerland and him sacrificing himself, and all of that being planned and that was… It wasn’t — absolutely not. That’s categorically false and ridiculous.”
“My father was so happy to have done the program and to be entering this next phase of his life. He wanted to spend more time in England. He wanted to spend more time with my children. He wanted to spend more time exploring different things as much as he could.”
Jack Osbourne talks about what it was like to return to England.
Jack flew to England that same day and arrived at the airport just as news of Ozzy's death was spreading around the world.
"It was like, messages, calls, and more messages like you've never seen before... I'll tell you one thing—I was very grateful to be on a plane where my phone wasn't ringing; I was just getting messages," he said.
“And so many people have been contacting me — friends of mine and colleagues. And that has been truly unique about this experience — as overwhelming as the outpouring of love and people contacting me is, it has also been very rewarding because I know my father was a special guy and meant a lot to many people. He meant something very different to me than to 99.999% of the world. But the common thread is that he was loved. He was very loved, and many people will miss him.”
Ozzy Osbourne's last performance
Regarding Ozzy Osbourne's final performance at Back To The Beginning on July 5th, Jack said:
“One thing that struck me about my father's departure was how almost perfect it was. He was able to say goodbye in such a profound way. He was able to thank the fans. He was able to see friends he hadn't seen in so long. He was able to perform. I mean, a lot was accomplished before the final point. And many of those things, when the time is right, we'll talk about. It was amazing, ultimately. I know I was shocked by the outpouring of love. Shocked. And I think it was beautiful, and as I said before, it was gratifying to see that kind of outpouring of love.”
“And I want to say this — to the people who are listening or watching — people who sent cards and made posts and, whether they left flowers on Birmingham Bridge or left them at home, we saw it all. We read all the letters. It didn’t go unnoticed. And I speak for the family when I say this: we are very grateful for it, and it meant a lot. And, as I said before, it was rewarding because I know we weren’t alone.”
Jack added: “Yes, it’s been a tough six weeks for the family. We’re all kind of going through it together and alone, each in our own way. I think that’s common. And the price we pay for loving someone so much is pain. And it’s the pain of pain when that person is gone. And I’m okay with that.”
Finally, Jack said he wanted to record his last podcast “just to thank everyone and make it clear that the family is okay. We are holding on. We are doing what we can to support and love each other. And, yes, my father's legacy will continue. I think Ozzy Osbourne doesn't end because he passed away on July 22nd. As I've been saying, he's exploding across the universe, and we're all seeing it.”
The final farewell to Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne was buried in a private funeral on July 31st. The heavy metal icon and Black Sabbath died on July 22nd, at the age of 76.
According to E! News , the death certificate signed by Ozzy's daughter, Aimee Osbourne , stated that the cause of death was a heart attack and acute myocardial infarction. The report also listed concurrent causes as coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease with atomic dysfunction.
The private funeral took place in a church in Gerrards Cross. Afterwards, Ozzy's body was buried beside the lake at his own mansion in Buckinghamshire. Definitely as he had said he wished.
The Sun newspaper , the family placed a wreath, inscribed "Ozzy f***ing Osbourne," on the water's edge. Approximately 110 people close to Ozzy joined his wife Sharon Osbourne and their children Jack, Kelly , and Aimee .
Among the friends who attended the funeral were Marilyn Manson, Corey Taylor ( vocalist of Slipknot ), Rob Zombie , James Hetfield ( of Metallica) , Yungblud , Zakk Wylde , and Sir Elton John . His Black Sabbath Tony Iommi , Bill Ward , and Geezer Butler were also present.
Guests received a simple black invitation with an image of a cross that read: “In loving memory of Ozzy Osbourne”.
The private funeral took place a day after the funeral procession through the streets of Birmingham, England.
Parade in Birmingham brought together thousands of fans.
Thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham, England, to bid a final farewell to Ozzy Osbourne . The funeral procession carrying the singer's body passed through his hometown last Wednesday, July 30th.
More than 150,000 fans worldwide watched the procession via live stream on the Black Sabbath Bench website .
Before the ceremony, the car carrying Osbourne's coffin passed by the singer's childhood home on Lodge Road, Aston. Fans laid flowers outside the property, near Villa Park.
Next, the funeral procession proceeded through the center of the singer's hometown, stopping at the Black Sabbath Bench and Bridge, where thousands of fans left messages and flowers in tribute to the pioneering heavy metal singer.
The funeral procession was escorted by police to the site, while hundreds of fans chanted “Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy” throughout the procession. The local band Bostin' Brass Band played the classic “Iron Man” by Black Sabbath, from their second album Paranoid (1970).
Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, and their children Jack, Kelly (along with Sid Wilson of Slipknot, and the couple's young son, Sidney), Aimee , and Louis – Ozzy's son from his first marriage to Thelma Riley – were in cars behind the hearse carrying the singer's body.
The singer's hearse displayed purple flowers spelling out "OZZY" beside his coffin. The vehicle stopped in front of the memorial. The event not only gave the Osbourne family the opportunity to see the tributes fans left around the city, but also to greet the crowd, lay flowers, and read some of the tributes left for the late Prince of Darkness.
READ ALSO: See Aston Villa pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne