Ozzy Osbourne’s Final Wish Will Break Your Heart

The curtain has fallen on one of rock’s most legendary figures. Ozzy Osbourne, the unmistakable voice behind Black Sabbath and a towering presence in music for over five decades, has died at the age of 76. In the early hours of July 22, surrounded by his wife Sharon and their children, the man who redefined heavy metal took his final breath.

“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,” his family said in a statement. “He was with his family and surrounded by love.”

It was a quiet goodbye for a man who once roared so loudly, but perhaps fitting. Ozzy left the world in Birmingham, the city that gave birth to his story—and to a genre that would shake the world.

Coming Home One Last Time

Ozzy’s final performance, held just weeks before his death at Villa Park—home to his beloved Aston Villa—was titled Back to the Beginning. It was more than a concert; it was a return to where it all started. A city. A sound. A life.

He had long dreamed of coming home to Britain after years in Los Angeles. In interviews, Ozzy often spoke of his longing for familiar skies, for quiet mornings in Buckinghamshire, for time with his grandchildren. In May, he told The Guardian:

“I don’t want to die in a hotel room somewhere. I want to spend the rest of my life with my family.”

Yet illness shadowed that return. Parkinson’s disease, multiple surgeries, and pain marked his final years. Still, he pushed forward, planning the move, playing one last show, reconnecting with his Sabbath brothers.

Sharon confirmed their plans on Planet Rock, simply saying:

“Yeah, we are [moving back].”

Ozzy had grown tired of life in America, where the headlines were often filled with gun violence and tragedy.

“I’m fed up with people getting killed every day,” he once told The Observer. “It’s f**** crazy.”**

From Factory Floors to Metal Thrones

Born John Michael Osbourne in Aston on December 3, 1948, Ozzy’s path to stardom was anything but scripted. He left school at 15 and worked various odd jobs—serving in a slaughterhouse, construction, and a factory—before music found him. Alongside Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward, he helped form a band that would become a legend.

Originally called Earth, the group would find its identity in a song inspired by a Boris Karloff horror film. They named the track—and eventually themselves—Black Sabbath, and heavy metal was born.

Ozzy’s voice was raw and otherworldly, his presence theatrical yet vulnerable. Though he began with a love for soul and Mod culture, it was the darker shades of life that fueled his creativity and carved out his legacy.

In 2022, he made an emotional return to the spotlight during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Birmingham. There, on stage with fellow Brummie artists, he declared:

“Birmingham forever.”

That same spirit carried him home, one last time.