Ozzy Osbourne's sisters, Jean Powell, 85, and Gillian Hemming, 80, have spoken of their devastation following the death of the Black Sabbath legend, describing their brother as 'loving and funny'. The pair, who stayed up all night reminiscing, paid tribute to 'Our John' and revealed he had hoped to make a return trip to Birmingham.
Speaking from her home, Gillian told how proud they were of their 'crazy' brother. Jean said: 'We saw him in Birmingham the other week when he and the rest of the band were given the freedom of the city. It was upsetting because he could not stand up straight, but he was still our John, still cracking the jokes.'
The sisters received the news of Ozzy's death in a phone call yesterday, and Jean admitted it was a shock despite his frailty. 'He still had plans and things he wanted to do. We don't know the details of his death, it's still too early. It's just so sad. I'm just thankful he died in England.'
Jean shared the last text message she received from Ozzy after his final concert at Villa Park, where he performed in front of tens of thousands. 'He said he couldn't believe all the crowds were walking down our old street to watch him perform. He was blown away. In his last text to me he said he would be coming to Birmingham again. He said 'I can't wait to come back'. We were hoping to see him this week.'
Gillian described Ozzy as 'loving and funny' and said what the public saw was exactly what he was like in real life. 'It wasn't an act.' Jean added: 'He was just our John. He used to make us laugh all the time. That's what I'll always remember.'
