Stephen Knowles, 59, who owns the world's largest collection of Black Sabbath memorabilia, has spoken of his devastation following the death of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne. The Prince of Darkness passed away on Tuesday, surrounded by family, after a battle with Parkinson's disease.
Knowles, a former heating engineer from Dudley, West Midlands, has amassed a hoard of memorabilia worth £250,000 over five decades. His collection began with a t-shirt bought from Birmingham's Bull Ring after seeing Sabbath at Stafford's Bingley Hall in 1977.
He described Ozzy's farewell concert at Aston Villa FC's Villa Park on July 5 as the 'perfect ending'. 'We all knew it was going to happen but it's happened sooner rather than later. At least we got to say goodbye at Villa Park – you could see he wasn't well but he still managed to do it,' Knowles said.
The superfan, who roadied for Black Sabbath in the 1990s, recalled meeting Ozzy for the last time in a Malibu hospital after the singer had sepsis. 'He said 'what the hell are you doing here?' – that was the last time I saw him. I have so many great memories and good times with that man,' he added.
Knowles believes Ozzy planned his farewell perfectly. 'He must have known, he planned this out perfectly. He got the chance to say goodbye. That gig, everyone was still buzzing – it's helped soften the blow for us all,' he said.
