Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has paid tribute to his "dear friend" Ozzy Osbourne on the first anniversary of his death, adding: "I still can't believe that he's not with us."
Iommi's tribute
Singer Ozzy, known as the Prince of Darkness, died aged 76 on July 22 last year just over two weeks after his Back To The Beginning farewell concert where he was reunited with his bandmates. Ozzy co-founded the chart-topping group Black Sabbath in the 1960s, alongside guitarist Iommi, bass player Terence "Geezer" Butler and drummer Bill Ward.
Iommi, 78, paid tribute to his late bandmate in a lengthy message on X, posting: "Well, it's now a year since Ozzy's passing and I still can't believe that he's not with us. I watch him on YouTube and it feels like he's still here with us. We always stayed in touch, almost every week or so and we'd usually talk about our ailments and then about what we'd been doing that particular week."
Osbourne, who died of a reported heart attack, had suffered from a string of health issues over the years, including multiple surgeries following a fall in February 2019 and being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Iommi, nicknamed The Godfather Of Heavy Metal, was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2012 and announced he was in remission in 2016. He continued: "The fans have been absolutely brilliant and the love and respect that they have shown for him has just been amazing. I'm so glad that we were able to play one final show with the original line up of Sabbath at the Back To The Beginning show in our hometown of Birmingham. There will never be another Ozzy. I miss you my dear friend."
Kelly Osbourne's emotional message
The daughter of Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy also said she "aches every single day" and misses her father "with every part of my soul" on the first anniversary of his death.
His youngest daughter, Kelly Osbourne, shared a lengthy and emotional tribute to Instagram on addressed to her late father.
The 41-year-old wrote: "One year ago today, the world changed forever. Today, I sit here beside you in a way I never thought would be possible. I know you are still with me. I feel you in the quiet, in the wind, in every song that stops me in my tracks, is (sic) the smell of your cologne and in every moment that love outweighs grief. You are all around me."
Osbourne detailed how living without her father "has been the hardest thing I have ever had to endure" and said: "Now all I have are memories. But my God, what beautiful memories they are. Even through all the madness we lived through, you somehow made every moment worthwhile."
The TV star, who is also an actress, recounted fond memories with her father and said: "I have never loved anyone or anything as deeply as uniquely as I love you."
"And now I carry all of that love with nowhere to place it except within me, my son, and mumma. It aches every single day, but it is also the greatest privilege of my life. To have loved someone so completely."
Osbourne also said she wishes her father could see "the little man" her son Sidney is becoming, adding: "Every single day I catch glimpses of you in him. Your smile. Your spirit. Your mannerisms."
"Sometimes it stops me in my tracks because it feels as though you've found a way to remind me that love never truly leaves us. Seeing you reflected in him is one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given."
Kelly also hailed the impact Ozzy had on the world, and said: "You changed lives simply by being yourself and the beautiful timeless music you created."
She also praised her father's background, having come from a working-class neighbourhood in Birmingham, and said he "never forgot what he came from".
Osbourne continued: "You made people believe that life could be better because of the way you lived yours. With honesty, loyalty, courage, humour, and a heart bigger than anyone realised. There will never be another you. You carried something extraordinary inside you, a kind of magic that felt heaven-sent, and I will spend the rest of my life feeling grateful that I got to call you my daddy. This past year has broken me in ways I never knew were possible."
Osbourne added: "Music may live forever, but what our family created our bond, our laughter, our unwavering love is eternal. Death could never take that from us."
The star ended the emotional tribute by saying how much she loves and misses Ozzy, whilst thanking him for "being my daddy" and "making me who I am".
Sharon Osbourne remembers her husband
The music star died of a reported heart attack on July 22 after suffering a string of health issues over the years, including multiple surgeries following a fall in February 2019 and being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. His band Black Sabbath formed in 1968 and are widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal.
Osbourne also had a successful solo career and appeared in 2000s reality TV series The Osbournes alongside his wife Sharon and their two youngest children. On the first anniversary of his death Ozzy was also remembered by his widow Sharon, who encouraged fans to "remember how funny he was - funny and charismatic and real" in an interview with BBC Radio West Midlands.
The former X Factor judge, who was visibly emotional in the interview, also praised her husband's hometown for hosting ‘Ozzy Day’ - a series of events commemorating the anniversary of his death.
Sharon said: "(Birmingham) is the home of metal. It's Ozzy's home, it's where he was born, what he loved and (Ozzy Day) wouldn't work anywhere else. He loved this city, he loved its people. He was proud of being a Brummie and that's it."
She added: "He was authentic. He never tried to be anything other than what he was, and he would tell you the truth about everything and that was him, you knew where you were with him."
