Ozzy Osbourne “knew his days were numbered” when he took to the stage for his farewell gig – and his devoted wife Sharon ensured the event went ahead so fans could bid him farewell
Late rock legend Ozzy Osbourne “knew his days were numbered” when he delivered his final performance – one of his rock star mates has disclosed.
Ozzy, who passed away on Tuesday, approached the Back To The Beginning concert as his personal “celebration of life” – surrounded by those dearest to him.
Acclaim was also heaped upon his loyal wife Sharon for arranging the gig so “the world could say goodbye” to Ozzy.
The remarkable fresh revelation comes from Megadeath founding member David Ellefson, who spent time with the late Birmingham legend and took to the stage at the Villa Park concert and at numerous performances with his mate Ozzy over the past two decades.
Ozzy was thrilled basking in the finale’s triumph at the afterparty with celebrities, including Slash and Axl Rose, managing to “say goodbye to him,” reports the Mirror.
Ellefson, bassist and composer of Megadeth, noted that Ozzy displayed symptoms of nerve damage from the condition with his leg trembling, yet remained completely “coherent” throughout his farewell.
Ellefson, who had toured extensively with Ozzy, characterised the Birmingham icon as “the Elvis of heavy metal”.
He disclosed how the VIP afterparty of BTTB resembled a wake with Ozzy as the focal point.
He elaborated: “It really felt like this was the celebration of life before this inevitable day that happened right? Because Ozzy knew it, right? We’ve seen the videos online. He knew his days were numbered.
“And God bless Sharon for just keeping it going and giving him something to look forward to.
“The fact that he got to say goodbye, the fact that we all got to say goodbye to him. In my opinion, not trying to be morbid. I’m being celebratory here. We got to have the celebration of life before he passed.
“I mean, what a beautiful thing. And I was just thinking, God bless Sharon and all those people that did this because for the world to get to say goodbye to Ozzy. Because we knew this day was coming. This isn’t as shocking as it is – we knew it was coming.
“And so to just have had that moment, all of us together, whether we were on the stage, in the audience, watching it on TV or now, the social media posts, that is the shot around the world, man, that’s taken over the world, that event.
“And so for all of us, I mean, what a great way to say goodbye. It just was a beautiful thing that will live with all of us forever.”
Ellefson, clearly moved during his radio appearance, shared these touching reflections on the Sirius XM Ozzy’s Boneyard all-day tribute programme dedicated to the legendary rocker.
The musician, who performed with Supergroup A during the concert, fondly remembered Ozzy’s excitement at the exclusive after-show VIP gathering: “It was super cool, and they’d bring Ozzy in and family’s there and standing right up front and he saw me and he said, ‘Hey, come here. Come here’. He signals me over. So I kneeled down and have a quick chat with him. And I said, ‘man, that was fricking awesome you did great.
“And he was happy. He had that after show glow (corr) that we all have, right?
“It seemed like he wanted to hang out all night. And then of course, Jack shushes everybody, and right in front of us Sid’s proposing marriage to Kelly.
“And oh my God, it was like, we’re in the Osbourne living room watching this intimate moment. And I shot a little video of it on my phone. And I was just looking at it while going, ‘God, there he was, man, just a couple weeks ago. there’s Ozzy just sitting in his chair. He is smiling. His leg was shaking a little bit like it was.
“And it was just such a glorious, happy, happy moment. And so that’s the Ozzy I remember, not even the rockstar, just that guy.”
The metal legend’s family revealed his passing in a heartbreaking statement on Tuesday, sending shockwaves through the music industry just over a fortnight after his Back To The Beginning performance at Villa Park.
The family’s announcement read: “It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
