Mike Portnoy , drummer for Dream Theater , spoke about the death of Ozzy Osbourne , referring to it as a loss "as great as that of John Lennon ."
During a recent interview with the Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk , Mike Portnoy said [transcription via Blabbermouth ]: “The impact has been enormous. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt a loss like this… It’s as big as John Lennon’s or something like that. Obviously, in our world, in the metal world, you have losses like Ronnie James Dio , Lemmy , or Eddie Van Halen , and those are huge. But this has been on a totally different level from the mainstream. Because he transcends metal, he transcends even rock, he transcends music. He’s a pop culture figure. So, this has been huge.”
Portnoy also commented that he started listening to Ozzy's music again as a way to remember the heavy metal icon: “First, I was revisiting the entire Black Sabbath after the farewell show . And after he passed away, I went back to revisiting his solo catalog. And it's been an incredible musical journey revisiting all of that. It's amazing. What a career. But, yes, what a loss.”
Mike Portnoy on The Farewell Show
Furthermore, Mike added that it was “a gift” that Ozzy had the chance to do one last show: “What a blessing that this happened, that he was able to say goodbye to the fans and do one last show surrounded by all the bands that love him, grew up with him and that he influenced. And what a blessing to have done that […] It was a gift for him and a gift for the fans and his loved ones. What a way to say goodbye, really. I mean, you’ve seen these tribute shows, like the Taylor Hawkins , which was incredible, and the Freddie Mercury . But this was a rare case where you had a tribute show where he could actually be there, attend and be a part of it. So, really, it was the ultimate farewell. Incredible.”
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 gave the Osbourne family the opportunity to see the tributes fans left around the city, as well as greet the crowd, lay flowers, and read some of the tributes left for the late Prince of Darkness.
READ ALSO: What happened to the flowers and tributes left for Ozzy Osbourne?
