Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi has revealed he and Ozzy Osbourne were texting just hours before the Prince of Darkness died. Osbourne passed away at age 76 at his home in Jordans on July 22 last year, weeks after reuniting with his bandmates for his final concert, Back to the Beginning, at Villa Park.
Final Messages
Iommi told The Sun: "I didn't expect him to go overnight; it was a hell of a shock." The guitarist explained they kept in touch regularly, often discussing health issues and weekly activities.
Osbourne's cause of death was ruled as an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease, and Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction (joint causes).
First Anniversary Tribute
On the first anniversary of Osbourne's death, Iommi posted a tribute on X, saying: "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."
Iommi, known as The Godfather Of Heavy Metal and diagnosed with blood cancer in 2012 (in remission since 2016), added: "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 Words
Osbourne's youngest daughter, Kelly, also shared her grief, saying she "aches every single day" and misses him with "every part of my soul." She said: "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 the smell of your cologne and in every moment that love outweighs grief. You are all around me."
Kelly described living without her father as "the hardest thing I have ever had to endure" and added: "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."
She recalled fond memories 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."
