Sharon Osbourne Recalls Ozzy's Emotional Goodbye Before His Death

Sharon Osbourne says her husband Ozzy's final weeks were filled with gratitude, nostalgia, and emotion as he closed out a decades-long career.

The Black Sabbath frontman died July 22 at age 76 from a heart attack, weeks after performing at Villa Park in Birmingham during the Back to the Beginning farewell concert. Sharon said returning to his home city and playing alongside drummer Bill Ward again left him deeply moved. "For Ozzy to play with Bill again, he was very, very emotional about that," she told Pollstar.

She recalled how, on the night of the show, Ozzy told her, "I had no idea that so many people liked me." Sharon added that her husband had "always been in his own bubble" and was taken aback by the size of the crowd and the warmth they showed him.

A Perfect Farewell

The July concert was streamed globally and raised money for charity. Sharon called it "the perfect way" to close a career, especially for someone who never wanted to disappear quietly. "It was just perfect... the perfect storm," she said, noting that metal fans "are the most loyal fans in the world" and "when they're a fan, you've got them for life."

The event had many old crew who had been with Ozzy for years. This made the night feel more emotional. Sharon said they sold 40,000 seats and had to say no to other bands as they wanted to join, but there was no more time left. One standout performance for the couple was Yungblud's cover of "Changes," which will be released as a single.