WHEN I was first told the news that Ozzy Osbourne was dead, I didn’t believe it.
The Prince of Darkness, the Godfather of Metal — whatever you want to call him — had always seemed invincible; a larger than life character who filled every room with a star power that came naturally and never went to his head.
APRock legend Ozzy Osbourne has died aged 76[/caption]
SuppliedI lived with Ozzy and Sharon while ghost-writing Sharon’s memoir Unbreakable[/caption]
And when I last saw him, just over two weeks ago, he was sitting in his dressing room backstage at Villa Park, waiting to go on for his final live concert with Black Sabbath and fizzing with nerves and excitement.
The progression of Parkinson’s disease meant he was in a wheelchair, but mentally he was fired up and full of the quips everyone loved him for.
Following the successful performance, he returned backstage, emotional and exhilarated, to find some of the world’s biggest metal stars — Slash, Axl Rose, Metallica etc — waiting outside his dressing room to congratulate him.
It made him tearful with gratitude.
And with him were all those he loved — devoted wife Sharon, their children, Aimee, Jack and Kelly, with all their partners and children, and the various staff who have worked for the couple for decades.
It was a real family affair, so it’s some comfort that he got to do that before he died.
As for Sharon, it’s hard to know how she’ll cope with the loss of her beloved Ozzy.
Back in 2013, I lived with them in LA whilst I was ghost-writing Sharon’s memoir Unbreakable.
Every day, at 7am, I’d write up the previous day’s notes.
I barely got anything done.
Ozzy would join me in the kitchen and regale me with hilarious stories from his life.
He was naturally funny, and kind.
He always asked you questions about yourself, and walking anywhere with him in public was painfully slow as everyone would want to talk to him, and he’d happily oblige.
One afternoon, we went to a nearby hotel for afternoon tea and a tourist bus taking in the homes of the rich and famous drove past.
Those on board couldn’t believe they were seeing an actual celebrity and started screaming and shouting.
Ozzy jumped through a hedge to get away, while Sharon stood clutching her sides with laughter.
It was well known that they had their spats, but Sharon was his world.
He often told me he couldn’t live without her.
GettyOzzy often told me he couldn’t live without his beloved Sharon[/caption]
It had always been her dream to bring him back to the UK for his retirement years, because he loved it here.
He felt the Brits understood his humour as well as his still strong Brummie accent.
That’s why he and Sharon chose Villa Park for the farewell; a mere spit away from the small terraced house in Aston that he grew up in.
He felt at home there, and the crowd patently adored him.
The concert was to be the precursor to him retiring and enjoying a quieter life in the countryside around their Buckinghamshire home.
Sharon had recently updated the house for his needs and he was looking forward to spending time there.
But now he’s gone and, as I write these words, I still can’t quite believe it. I’m not sure I ever will.
RIP Ozzy, you were a one-off.
Getty – ContributorOzzy and Sharon with kids Kelly and Jack[/caption]
GettySharon was Ozzy’s world[/caption]
Getty – ContributorSharon and Ozzy as youngsters[/caption]
GettyThe Black Sabbath rocker was naturally funny, and kind[/caption]
AlamyWhen I lived with Ozzy in LA, I enjoyed being regaled with hilarious stories from his life[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
