Sharon Osbourne has revealed she was “petrified” in the lead-up to Ozzy Osbourne’s final concert, a performance he gave against doctors’ orders and just two weeks before his death. The singer died of a heart attack on July 5 last year, following the farewell gig at Villa Park called Back To The Beginning.
A Secret Struggle
Speaking at the British premiere of a film about the concert, Sharon said she shielded the truth about how sick Ozzy was from their children and the other members of Black Sabbath. “I was petrified. He did great and we see that in the film. But the guys (in Black Sabbath) didn’t know how sick Ozzy was. Even my kids, we never told my kids. Nobody knew how sick he was,” she said.
Ozzy had suffered from a string of health issues, including multiple surgeries following a fall and Parkinson’s disease. Sharon added: “He was just praying that his lungs would work and that he could sing. Because I mean, he had with everything else that was wrong with him, he had emphysema. So for him to breathe was very very hard, and you know you never knew from one day to the next he could be great for two days, and then on the third day, he'd wake up, and you know, all you'd hear was wheezing, and he couldn't breathe, so it was it was tough.”
Defying Doctors
At the end of the new film, Sharon tells viewers how Ozzy went through the pain barrier to perform. “He was told 10 days before the show he probably wouldn’t make it through the show if he went up and performed. He absolutely said ‘No, I’ve made my commitment, I’m doing it. Whatever happens, happens,” she says.
The concert became one of the most memorable in the history of heavy metal, allowing Ozzy to say goodbyes to friends and fans. Sharon said he was like a different person after the gig, enjoying his final days. “He was flying high again. He was so happy. Until the day he passed, he was still on that high, so thankful to everyone,” she said. “It was so joyous for us to see because we hadn’t seen him like that for years. He was laughing, telling jokes again. It was brilliant.”
A Lasting Legacy
Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham in 1968 and became one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time, with Ozzy dubbed the ‘Prince of Darkness’. Sharon said the concert film represents the success of the genre over the years. “You see artist after artist filling stadiums now with this music and it’s wonderful to see it,” she explained.
The film also shows Ozzy thanking his wife on stage for her two-year mission to put on the concert. Other bands including Metallica and Guns and Roses played on the day. As the credits roll, Sharon says: “He was just so elated. He was in such a great place mentally and he went out the way he wanted to. It’s what he wanted and not many people get that opportunity, and he did.”
The Osbournes married in 1982 and had three children, Aimee, 43; Kelly, 41; and Jack, 40. Ozzy was also a father to Jessica, Louis and adopted son Elliot, from his previous marriage to Thelma Riley. The film, Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning, captures the singer with his original bandmates: guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler. The film is in cinemas for a limited time from October 28.
