Ozzy Osbourne battled ill health for years but the Black Sabbath frontman’s death on Tuesday still came as a shock to many – especially as Kelly hit out at claims he was dying earlier this month
The news of Ozzy Osbourne’s death shocked the world on Tuesday as the Black Sabbath frontman died just weeks after his final performance in his hometown of Birmingham. Although the legendary rocker had been battling ill health for several years, Ozzy had appeared to be in good spirits in the days leading up to his death.
His daughter Kelly Osbourne, 40, even slammed rumours that her beloved father was dying earlier this month, telling fans “yes, he has Parkinson’s, and yes, his mobility is completely different than it used to be but he’s not dying.”
The singer, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, was “with his family and surrounded by love” during his final moments. Since his death was announced on Tuesday, more details about the battle to save the War Pigs rocker have emerged.
Air ambulance
Air ambulance paramedics fought valiantly for hours to save the life of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne after he fell critically ill, the world learned yesterday.
It’s reported that an air ambulance touched down in a field near Ozzy’s UK residence around 10:30am on Tuesday, in a desperate attempt to revive the Black Sabbath frontman, but tragically, their efforts were in vain. A local resident described the community’s concern upon seeing the helicopter descend near Ozzy and Sharon’s home.
Speaking to MailOnline, they said: “All of us were talking about it and wondering what had happened. We immediately feared it may be for him as he was known to be in fragile health. When we heard later that night that he had died it confirmed our worst fears.”
A representative for Thames Valley Air Ambulance confirmed their involvement, stating: “We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday.”
The helicopter departed from RAF Benson in Oxfordshire, near to Ozzy’s residence, which sits in Valfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire. It’s understood that the medical team were airborne for merely 15 minutes before reaching Ozzy, and remained for approximately two hours trying to preserve his life.
Thames Valley Air Ambulance serves Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire and frequently arrives at the patient’s location within just 15 minutes. The distinctive red aircraft is typically deployed for patients needing the most critical care, from cardiac episodes to strokes and road traffic collisions.
Final family video
Ozzy was captured spending precious moments with his family in footage shared just two days before his passing. The clip has drawn widespread attention this week following news of the rock legend’s death last night.
His daughter Kelly, 40, posted the video on her Instagram Story on July 20, just two days before the Black Sabbath icon passed away. The footage revealed Ozzy using a tablet whilst seated at a table alongside his youngest daughter and her two year old son Sidney.
The trio were filmed enjoying breakfast together, with newspapers – including the Sunday Mirror – clearly visible on the table before them. Kelly opened the clip by greeting viewers with: “Good morning.”
She then moved the camera to reveal her father. Kelly affectionately called Ozzy, who was wearing headphones, “dadda” during one moment in the footage. She subsequently encouraged him: “Say good morning!”. When prompted to acknowledge viewers, Ozzy leaned forwards and cheerfully declared: “Good morning!”.
Sharon speaks
Sharon Osbourne reacted to Gavin Rossdale’s tribute to her late husband last night, her first public comment since the passing of the Black Sabbath icon at the age of 76 on Tuesday.
Gavin captioned a photo of himself and Ozzy: “RIP OZZY – a great man – a true legend. I met Ozzy through Jack just a few times but he was so warm and kind and funny and I love that memory. Sending much love to his family at this difficult time. Rest in power.”
Replying to the Bush frontman’s Instagram post in honour of the Paranoid rocker, Sharon responded: “Bless you.” The former America’s Got Talent judge had shared a family statement with her kids Aimee, 41, Kelly, 40, and Jack, 39, announcing the sad news of Ozzy’s death.
It 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’s death comes just weeks after he played a farewell gig with Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Terence ‘Geezer’ Butler at Villa Park in his home city of Birmingham and the trio all shared tributes to the heavy metal pioneer.
Butler wrote on Instagram: “Thanks for all those years – we had some great fun. Four kids from Aston – who’d have thought, eh? So glad we got to do it one more time, back in Aston. Love you.”
Guitarist Iommi added: “It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother.”
Ward posted on social media: “Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls… no, you’re forever in my heart.”
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