Black Sabbath legend Ozzy Osbourne was working on a now unfinished BBC documentary about his dreams of finally return to the UK before his untimely death at 76
In the months leading up to his death, Ozzy Osbourne was quietly working on what was set to be one final chapter in his long and turbulent life and was filming a documentary about the Osbourne family’s long-anticipated return to the UK after more than two decades in America.
The BBC One series, which would have featured his wife Sharon and children Kelly and Jack, was never completed. However, the footage is said to have captured what became a poignant dream for Ozzy and the rock legend’s final attempt to come home.
Ozzy died at the age of 76, surrounded by family, just weeks after taking the stage one last time in Birmingham with his Black Sabbath bandmates. The final performance was both a homecoming performance and an unexpected final goodbye rolled into one.
Sources close to Ozzy’s family have now claimed that filming for the series had been postponed multiple times due to Ozzy’s declining health.
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“The filming was on and off again so many times, mainly because of Ozzy’s health,” said one insider.
The Osbournes had been planning their return to their Buckinghamshire estate, Welders House, for nearly two years, but Ozzy’s condition made the move impossible until recently.
“After delaying their big move back to Welders in the UK for almost two years because of Ozzy’s health, his doctors had finally signed off his ability to travel to the UK and perform at the farewell gig,” the source told The Sun.
Determined not to let fans down, Ozzy began daily vocal training in preparation for his final performance in Birmingham. “Ozzy was having singing lessons almost every day in preparation for his last show, wanting to go out with a bang,” the insider explained. “He was in constant pain and had nurses tending to him around the clock but was determined to play this last show.”
For Ozzy, the return to the stage wasn’t just about music – it was about legacy, gratitude, and closure after many years.
According to the insider, Ozzy’s determination came from wanting to play for the fans one last time who gave him the “amazing life he and Sharon have enjoyed together”.
Despite his physical struggles, those close to him say his spirit never dimmed. Despite his ailments, he was still very much ‘all there’ with his ‘sharp wit’ and constant jokes.
In an interview with Sirius XM just months earlier, Ozzy and his wife Sharon spoke candidly about the effort it took to prepare for what would be his last appearance on stage.
“I am in heavy training because I haven’t done any physical work for the last seven years,” he said. “By hook or by crook. I’ve got to make it there. I have got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal. It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me.
“I’m giving it everything I’ve got. It’s endurance. The first thing that goes when you’re laid up is your stamina. I am having my blood pressure taken 15 times a day… I’ve got this f**ing device on my finger. It’s a monitor to say how my heart rate is. I’m constantly in training seven days a week. I’ve got this guy who’s virtually living with me, and I’m in bed by seven.”
At the Villa Park Back To The Beginning concert, held just over two weeks before his death, Ozzy addressed the crowd with emotion: “I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
After the show, he confirmed: “It’s a goodbye as far as my live performances go, and what a way to go out.”
Returning to the UK had long been a goal for Ozzy, who had become increasingly disillusioned with life in the U.S. “Everything’s f**ing ridiculous (in America),”* he told reporters in 2022.
Despite numerous health setbacks, including a Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020, he was determined to make it back to his beloved Buckinghamshire.
In a statement confirming his death, Ozzy’s family noted that he had died in “Birmingham, England,” suggesting that he had, in the end, achieved his wish of returning home.
Friends and family later shared that his passing had come sooner than expected. “Ozzy was always meant to come back to Britain to live in Buckinghamshire,” a close friend told The Mail.
“It was where Sharon had spent so long preparing their family home for him. There was much hope that he would be around for a lot longer than this but at one point there were fears they would not get him back from Los Angeles for the concert earlier this month.”
In his final days, his daughters Kelly, 40, and Aimee, 41, flew in from Los Angeles to be by his side.
“Kelly has been at the house a lot in the last week or so, so has Aimee. It is terribly sad for all of them, they really hoped he would be able to carry on for a bit longer,” the source added. “But it’s so lovely that he had his children around him during his last days.”
Despite never finishing the documentary, Ozzy Osbourne gave his fans and his family one final, unforgettable moment. He gave them a goodbye rooted in love, music, and an unshakable will to keep going until the very end.
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