Prior to his passing at the age of 76, Ozzy Osbourne had outlined his funeral wishes.
Earlier this week, the family of Ozzy Osbourne confirmed his death through a heartfelt announcement.
The statement read: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.
“We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Ozzy had been dealing with Parkinson’s disease since 2019, a progressive neurological disorder that affects different parts of the brain over time.
Although the specifics of Ozzy’s funeral arrangements have yet to be disclosed, he had previously expressed a desire for the occasion to be joyful rather than somber.
“There’ll be no harping on the bad times,” he wrote in a column for The Times back in 2011 when a fan wrote in asking about planning his own funeral.
“It’s worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives, so by any measure, most of us in this country – especially rock stars like me – are very lucky.
“That’s why I don’t want my funeral to be sad, I want it to be a time to say ‘Thanks’.”
Ozzy also expressed indifference towards the choice of music at his funeral, stating: “I honestly don’t care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle, and We Are the Diddymen if it makes ’em happy.”
In a subsequent interview with NME, however, Ozzy mentioned he might select ‘A Day In The Life’ by The Beatles as a preferred track.
He added: “I really need a few more years to think this over, but probably something from Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Revolver.
“I definitely don’t want my f**king greatest hits album – I never ever play that thing, I’m f**king embarrassed about it. And I definitely don’t want a f**king happy song – I’m dead.”
Ozzy is survived by his wife, Sharon, and their children, Aimee, Kelly, and Jack. He also leaves behind Jessica and Louis from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, as well as his grandchildren.
Before his death, Sharon had arranged for Ozzy to return to his hometown in the UK for the Back to the Beginning benefit concert, where he performed with Black Sabbath, raising $189 million for charity.
“The only place that we could do it would have been Aston, because that’s where Ozzy was born and grew up, which is right where the Villa ground is,” Sharon told Music Business Worldwide.
“I thought of having all the bands he’s ever had relationships with perform and maybe do Sabbath songs and Ozzy songs. It became a celebration of the music.
“All the generations are going to be there that Sabbath and Ozzy have passed the torch down to.”
After performing at the concert, Ozzy expressed gratitude to his fans by saying: “You’ve no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.”