Andrew Watt shared moments from the last day of Ozzy Osbourne , who died on July 22nd due to a heart attack.
In an interview with Rolling Stone , Andrew said that the singer's death was a huge shock, as Ozzy had been "normal" the day before his death. The producer also spoke about his friendship with the Prince of Darkness.
"Everything was normal [the day before], and the next day, the news was a huge shock. He saw me in a way that I didn't see in myself, and if you talk to someone who loves him or was lucky enough to be loved by him, that's a constant."
Watt continued: “He could see you at your best, at your worst, and just the way you were—he was kind of like a wizard. He often knew things were going to happen before they happened and had incredible intuition. When we made all those albums together, he was recovering from that accident [a fall at home] he had. And it was the first time I was making music and realized that music was something bigger than just writing songs. It was about giving him a purpose when he wasn't feeling well and making him feel great, laugh, sing, dance, and heal. Those two albums were incredible, and for me, they're the reason I'm here talking to you today.”
Andrew Watt produced two of Ozzy's albums.
Andrew Watt produced the albums Ordinary Man (2020) and Patient Number 9 (2022), and shared his experience working with Ozzy:
“He saw me as a serious album producer. Up until then, I wasn’t really doing full albums. I had done one or two full albums that I was involved in, but I wasn’t doing it in that way. And he saw in me that I was capable of it. And it was a dream come true… He really believed in me. He let me play guitar on his albums, and that’s just unbelievable. We were very dedicated to each other, both as collaborators and as friends. And, damn, man, more than anything, I miss the laughs. He’s the funniest person ever.”
The experience at Ozzy Osbourne's last show
Andrew also recalled the moments at Back to the Beginning , Black Sabbath 's farewell show that took place on July 5th at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
“The experience at the show was unbelievable and, at this moment, it feels like a dream sequence. The whole last month of his life feels like a dream. I was in London working on a project, and going to the show and getting to Birmingham was incredible. And I got there and there was a huge photo session, everyone was there. It was amazing because [guitarist] Jake E. Lee was there, who hadn't seen Ozzy in 30 years. And all these people were there, from all walks of life, bands he loved. Musicians he loved. There was an incredible photo session that Ross Halfin was conducting and Ozzy kept telling him to fuck off the whole time, and he kept telling Ozzy to fuck off back.”
He continued: “It was just a great and fun thing. It felt like a heavy metal summer camp. That’s the best way to describe it. And then we were all together every day, and we hung out with Sharon, Jack, Kelly and everyone… I remember the night before the big show, I went out with Sharon for curry, because that’s what you eat in Birmingham. And we took some back to the hotel for Ozzy. We stayed with him for quite a while and talked. We spent a few hours together in his room the night before the show. It’s hard to talk about 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: Jack Osbourne reveals details of his father Ozzy Osbourne's death.
