Ozzy Osbourne’s sister has revealed the heartbreaking text she received from the rock icon before his death aged 76.
The Black Sabbath frontman died on Tuesday at his home in Buckinghamshire just weeks after bidding farewell to fans at his final show.
Siblings Jean Powell, 85, and Gillian Hemming, 80, have now revealed they last heard from the Prince of Darkness on the night of his last show at Villa Park on July 5.
Speaking about his final show, his two surviving sisters Jean and Gillian said Ozzy couldn’t believe the amount of people who turned out to see him and his bandmates as he drove down Lodge Road in Birmingham, near where his family used to live.
Jean said she ‘broke down’ when she saw the crowds in the stadium waiting to see her brother but didn’t get to chat to him much that night – though she got a text from him after the show.
‘I got a text off him as he drove down Lodge Road, where we used to live near the stadium,’ she told The Mirror.
Ozzy Osbourne’s sisters have revealed the heartbreaking text they received from the rock icon before his death aged 76 (L-R Jean, Gillian and Iris in 2006)
The Black Sabbath frontman died on Tuesday at his home in Buckinghamshire just weeks after bidding farewell to fans at his final show at Villa Park
‘He said he couldn’t believe all the crowds were walking down our old street to watch him perform, he was blown away.’
Jean and Gillian learned of his passing by phone call, and later stayed up all night ‘reminiscing’ about their ‘crazy’ brother, who they described as ‘loving and funny’.
‘To us he was our brother, not a celebrity, so it’s crazy to see the outpouring of love since his death was announced,’ she shared.
‘We just can’t believe he is gone and we won’t be getting another phone call or text from him, every week without fail he would get in touch, either by phone or text, to ask how we were all doing and what was going on.’
Despite being ‘frail’ in his final weeks, the sisters said Ozzy’s death still came as a shock but they are ‘thankful’ he died in England.
Ozzy – whose real name was John Michael – is one of six children, and also has two brothers Paul and Tony and another sister Iris. Tony and Iris have both passed away.
His family confirmed his death with a statement on Tuesday, writing: ‘It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away.’
During Ozzy’s final hours on Tuesday morning, an air ambulance was called to the family’s multi-million-pound country home as paramedics battled to save his life, MailOnline revealed on Wednesday.
Ozzy had been ‘frail’ in his final weeks but his death still came as a ‘shock’, his sisters said
His sisters stayed up all night ‘reminiscing’ about their ‘crazy’ brother, who they described as ‘loving and funny’
The Thames Valley air ambulance landed in a field close to Welders House, the singer’s Grade II listed mansion on Tuesday morning at around 10.30am.
It’s thought that calls from Welders House had led call handlers to believe that the Black Sabbath singer’s life was in the balance.
A chopper was dispatched from Thames Valley ambulance base at RAF Benson in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, some 27 miles from the mansion which is located close to the village of Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire.
The crew were airborne for around 15 minutes before landing in the grounds of the mansion and were then with Osbourne for around two hours, trying but failing to save his life, it’s understood.
Friends believe heartbroken Sharon may now bury Ozzy in the gardens of the 350-acre Buckinghamshire estate in an intimate family funeral, as she is ‘too frail’ to go through a larger, public service.
Rock star Ozzy previously revealed he didn’t want his funeral to be a sad occasion but a time to say ‘thanks’.
‘There’ll be no harping on the bad times,’ he told The Times back in 2011.
‘It’s worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives, so by any measure, most of us in this country — especially rock stars like me — are very lucky.
‘That’s why I don’t want my funeral to be sad, I want it to be a time to say ”thanks”.’
He is survived by his wife Sharon (pictured in 2017) and his six children. He shares three kids – Aimee, 41, Kelly, 41, and Jack, 40, with Sharon
Ozzy insisted he wanted it to be a celebration rather than a ‘mope-fest’ and that he didn’t care what music was played as long as it made his loved ones happy.
‘I honestly don’t care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and We Are the Diddymen if it makes ’em happy,’ he quipped.
Known for his humour, Ozzy joked he’d like to play a prank to make people smile, such as a playing a video of him asking a doctor for a second opinion on his death.
However, in another interview a few years later, Ozzy narrowed down his song choice to A Day In The Life by The Beatles.
Ozzy has previously credited The Beatles for inspiring him to become a musician himself, revealing he became an avid fan after hearing their 1964 hit She Loves You.
When asked about his funeral song, Ozzy insisted he would want a Beatles number being played rather than any of his own music on the day.
‘I really need a few more years to think this over, but probably something from ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band or Revolver,’ he told NME in 2016.
‘I definitely don’t want my f**king greatest hits album – I never ever play that thing, I’m f**king embarrassed about it. And I definitely don’t want a f**king happy song – I’m dead.’
Kelly, Ozzy, Sharon and Jack Osbourne pictured at the Grammy Awards in 2014
The rock star died on Tuesday morning with his family confirming the news in a statement.
‘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,’ they shared.
‘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.’
He is survived by his wife Sharon and his six children. He shares three kids – Aimee, 41, Kelly, 40, and Jack, 39, with Sharon.
Ozzy also welcomed two children – Jessica and Louis – from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, while he also adopted her son Elliot from her previous relationship.
The musician had undergone seven surgeries in the past five years, including a fourth spinal operation in 2023, and had been battling Parkinson’s disease since 2003.
Ozzy took to the stage for his farewell concert at Villa Park Stadium in his native Birmingham less than three weeks before his death.
The rocker reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005 to bid an emotional farewell to his decades of performing live on stage.
After selling out in minutes, over 42,000 fans packed into Villa Park for the aptly-titled Back to the Beginning show, which saw Ozzy and Black Sabbath return to their hometown – 56 years after they formed there.
The final photograph of him before his death was taken on stage as he sat on a black throne aptly decorated with a bat to perform his best-known hits for his loyal fans.
The musician had undergone seven surgeries in the past five years, including a fourth spinal operation in 2023, and had been battling Parkinson’s disease since 2003
His final words on stage were: ‘It’s the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.’
A message on screen then read: ‘Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,’ before the sky lit up with fireworks.
Before his final show, Ozzy said he hoped to continue recording music after retiring from live performing, but he heartbreakingly died before he was able to do so.
He told Metal Hammer magazine: ‘I still enjoy doing my own work, I also enjoy singing on other people’s work.
‘For the foreseeable future, I will keep on recording if the projects interest me, it’s very important.’
Ozzy’s last solo album, 2022’s Patient Number 9, featured a long list of guest artists, including hid Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Zakk Wylde, and Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, among others.
