Ozzy Osbourne‘s cause of death has been confirmed, two weeks after the Black Sabbath frontman died at the age of 76.
According to The New York Times, his death certificate lists the cause of death as a heart attack. It also mentioned that he suffered from coronary heart disease as well as Parkinson’s disease, which he was diagnosed with in 2003 but didn’t reveal publicly until 2020.
The certificate was submitted by his daughter Aimee Osbourne at a registry in London.
Reports later emerged of an air ambulance flying to his home in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire, on July 22, the day of his death.
Osbourne was laid to rest in the grounds of his UK mansion during a private ceremony that was attended by Elton John, members of Metallica and more last week. Prior to that, his cortege travelled through his home city of Birmingham in a procession attended by thousands of fans.
During the procession, the Osbourne family stopped by a fan memorial at the Black Sabbath Bridge and bench. Here, a visibly emotional Sharon Osbourne, who was seen clutching her late husband’s ring which she had tied onto a chain around her neck, was consoled by her children Jack, Kelly, and Aimee. Kelly appeared to be wearing Ozzy’s iconic round, purple-tinted sunglasses.
He had played his final live show in his hometown just weeks before his death, raising “a ton” of money for Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice. Indeed, it was later confirmed it may have been one of the highest-grossing charity concerts of all time.
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Osbourne’s bandmate Geezer Butler has said that he “wasn’t prepared” to see how frail he was during the show, at which he performed seated and at one point tried and failed to get up from his black throne.
“He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane – being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones,” he wrote in a new essay for The Sunday Times.
Butler continued: “He didn’t really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair. We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old. After a couple more weeks we were ready for the show.”
Later, he wrote: “Nobody knew he’d be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show. But I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans. The love from the fans and all the bands, musicians, singers and solo artists that night was incredible.”
Guitarist Tony Iommi also told ITV News that “it was a shock for us”. “When I heard yesterday, it couldn’t sink in,” he explained. “I thought, ‘It can’t be.’ I only had a text from him the day before. It just seemed unreal, surreal. And in the night, I started thinking about it: ‘God, am I dreaming all this?’ But as I said before, he’s not looked well through the rehearsals.
“I think he really just held out to do that show,” Iommi went on to add. “I really feel – and me and Geezer were talking about it last night – that we think he held out to do it, and just after that, he’s done it and said goodbye to the fans. And that was the end of it, really.
Yesterday (August 4), Kelly Osbourne has thanked fans for the “love, support and beautiful messages” she has received since the death of her father.
“I’ve sat down to write this a hundred times and still don’t know if the words will ever feel like enough,” she wrote on Instagram. “But from the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
“The love, support, and beautiful messages I’ve received from so many of you have truly helped carry me through the hardest moment of my life. Every kind word, every shared memory, every bit of compassion has meant more than I can ever explain.”
“Grief is a strange thing,” she continued. “It sneaks up on you in waves. I will not be ok for a while, but knowing my family are not alone in our pain makes a difference. I’m holding on tight to the love, the light, and the legacy left behind.”
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