Ozzy Osbourne

Jack Osbourne is set to make his small screen return on ITV this weekend, in what will be his first TV appearance since the tragic death of his rock legend father Ozzy

Jack Osbourne is set to return to our screens just days after the heartbreaking loss of his father, Ozzy Osbourne.

This weekend, Jack will make his first TV appearance on ITV since the unfortunate passing of his renowned rockstar father, Ozzy Osbourne, who sadly died at 76 years old on July 22. The 39-year-old television personality, who shot to fame at just 16 alongside his family on MTV’s At Home with the Osbournes, will be participating in the fifth series of ITV’s celebrity cooking competition, Cooking with the Stars, presented by Emma Willis.

In the pre-recorded episode scheduled to air this weekend, Jack will compete against seven other celebrities, hoping to impress the judges and secure the coveted Golden Frying Pan. ITV has assembled an impressive roster of celebrities for the new series, including Ekin-Su, EastEnders actress Natalie Cassidy, and former footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, reports the Express.

Viewers will likely already be familiar with the format of the competition – in each episode, the two celebrities with the lowest scores face off in the ultimate cook-off, with one contestant being eliminated immediately.

The stars will need to pull out all the stops to impress the judges if they hope to progress to the next round.

Just last week, Jack, his family and fans worldwide were left devastated by the sudden passing of Ozzy, who had been battling the debilitating disease Parkinson’s for years.

His death occurred just days after he’d completed his final Black Sabbath’s Back To The Beginning gig in Birmingham, where it all started for Ozzy and his original bandmates.

In 2003, with his renowned wife Sharon Osbourne, 72, by his side, Ozzy was informed that his body carried a rare genetic mutation PARK 2 also known as PRKN2, giving him an early indication that he would eventually face the challenges of Parkinson’s.

While no official cause of death has been announced yet, Ozzy’s loved ones and fans have witnessed his health deteriorate over the years. The rock star even suffered a fall resulting in a terrifying neck and spinal injury back in 2019, leading to the father-of-six undergoing numerous surgeries up until 2023.

Aware that his health was not improving, Ozzy made the tough decision, supported by his family, to perform one last time in his own farewell concert, which was greatly appreciated by his adoring fans.

Cooking with the Stars kicks off on Sunday, August 3 at 8pm on ITV1.

OZZY Osbourne’s warts-and-all autobiography will be published “uncensored” after his death aged 76 – with a foreword from his wife Sharon.

His Last Rites book, finished just before he passed away, will recount his relationship with hairstylist Michelle Pugh, which spanned from 2012 to 2016 and drove his wife Sharon to nearly kill herself.

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The revelation shattered his marriage and Sharon, then 63, was left blindsided by the betrayal. She bravely revealed she attempted to end her life after learning the full extent of the affair.

“I took, I don’t know how many pills,” she said. “I just thought, ‘My kids are older, they are fine and can take care of themselves.'”

A publishing source said yesterday: “This book was basically Ozzy’s last confessions and contains a lot of passages about how he is sorry for the affair.

“As he was always brutally honest during his life, it’s been decided not a word will be changed, even about painful times in his life and how his affair affected Sharon.”

The insider added it is “early days” in terms of Sharon’s grief, but she will be asked to write a foreword to the book.

They said: “Sharon is made of stern stuff and the publishers know she will want to leave her fingerprint on this book. Writing its foreword will also be cathartic for her and act as a way of laying Ozzy to rest.”

Another source said the book contains Ozzy’s epitaph. He had joked before his death that he wanted four words carved on his gravestone: “Bats taste like s***.”

But an insider said: “This was just a joke and Ozzy wanted something a lot more profound on his gravestone.

“This book will reveal it.”

Last Rites already has a cover, showing Ozzy holding his hands in a prayer-style gesture to his face.

A blurb for the upcoming book, set to be published in October, says: “Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Ozzy’s descent into hell.

“Along the way, he reflects on his extraordinary life and career, including his marriage to wife Sharon, alongside his reflections on what it took for him to get back onstage for the triumphant Back to the Beginning concert, streamed around the world, where Ozzy reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for the final time.

“Unflinching, brutally honest, but surprisingly life-affirming, Last Rites demonstrates once again why Ozzy has transcended his status as ‘The Godfather of Metal’ and ‘The Prince of Darkness’ to become a modern-day folk hero and national treasure.”

One excerpt from the autobiography features Ozzy saying: “People say to me, if you could do it all again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? I’m like, f*** no. If I’d been clean and sober, I wouldn’t be Ozzy. If I’d done normal, sensible things, I wouldn’t be Ozzy.

“Look, if it ends tomorrow, I can’t complain. I’ve been all around the world. Seen a lot of things. I’ve done good… and I’ve done bad.

“But right now, I’m not ready to go anywhere.”

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Sharon Osbourne said Ozzy, her husband of 43 years, died “surrounded by love” on Tuesday following a journey with Parkinson’s disease, which affectsthe central nervous system

A fiery throwback clip of Sharon Osbourne protecting her husband Ozzy is going viral following the rock icon’s death.

Fans have praised Sharon’s loyalty as, in the clip, the mum of three hits back at Megan Hauserman, then a contestant on Rock of Love: Charm School, who had insulted Ozzy. Megan had said: “The only thing you’ve managed to do as a celebrity is to watch your husband’s brain turn into a vegetable.”

But Sharon turned to the audience and said: “I feel so sorry for her,” before standing up, calmly taking a sip from her cup — and then hurling the rest of the drink in Megan’s face. The explosive exchange happened during the 2008 series of Sharon’s show, which saw contestants compete to develop proper etiquette in order to win $100,000 (£73,000).

Megan, a model and actress, was eliminated in episode four of her series, shortly after the showdown with Sharon, then aged 56 and a household name in the music and TV industries in the US and the UK. She told her audience: “They can f*** with me… I don’t give a sh** — but not my family.”

READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne insider lifts the lid on why ‘we just fell in love with’ the family

Security scrambled on the stage as tensions escalated on the VH1 programme. Following the feisty confrontation, Megan sued Sharon for battery and distress, while Sharon countersued, saying the reality star had assumed the risk and broken their TV agreement by suing. The case quietly settled in 2011 for an undisclosed six-figure sum.

Since then, Megan, 43, has starred in her own short-lived, infamous dating show: Megan Wants a Millionaire. It was axed during the first – and last – season with just three episodes airing in 2009.

Social media users took aim at Megan this week as the Rock of Love: Charm School clip re-emerged online. They also lauded Sharon’s loyalty, with one user stating: “The way she loved Ozzy is something not common… She really, REALLY loved her husband.” Another posted: “Ozzy was so blessed to have someone as loving as she was.”

A further fan posted: “Ozzy was the king of metal, but she was the queen. Never attack royalty.” Another comment reads: “GO Sharon. She doesn’t play when it comes to her man.”

And music manager Sharon, 72, expressed her heartbreak at Ozzy’s passing this week. The TV personality, who has been a judge on The X Factor, said in a family 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. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

She married Ozzy in Hawaii, US, in July 1982 and went on to have three children; Jack, Kelly, Aimee, with the music legend. The family’s light-hearted reality TV series, The Osbournes, was a huge hit and ran for three seasons between 2002 and 2005. Ozzy died on Tuesday “surrounded by love” following a battle with Parkinson’s disease.

IT was the craziest start to a love affair that survived against the odds for more than 40 years.

Superstar rocker Ozzy Osbourne had been given an envelope stuffed with cash to hand over to Sharon Arden, daughter of his band Black Sabbath’s manager.

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Instead, Ozzy blew the money on cocaine — which he was working his way through when Sharon arrived at his hotel.

Despite being completely off his head, Ozzy, who died on Tuesday age 76, never forgot that first meeting when Sharon asked, “Do you have anything for me?”.

He recalled: “‘No, I don’t think so’, I said, all innocent.

“But it didn’t take Einstein to work out what had happened.

“There was a massive bag of coke on the table next to a ripped-up envelope with ‘Sharon’ written on it in felt-tip pen.

“Sharon gave me a monumental ­bollocking when she saw it, shouting and cursing and telling me I was a f***ing disaster.

‘Drunkest and loudest’

“I guess I won’t be shagging her any time soon, then, I thought.

“But she came back the next day, to find me lying in a puddle of my own p**s, smoking a joint.

“She said, ‘Look, if you want to get your s**t together, we want to manage you’.”

That ill-fated meeting led to an incredible marriage that lasted 33 years — despite Ozzy’s drug and sex addiction and even his attempt to strangle Sharon.

He admitted: “I fell for Sharon so badly, man . . . she saved my life every day.”

In one of his last interviews, Ozzy described the reality TV star and X Factor judge as his “soulmate”.

He said: “Sometimes I love her, sometimes I don’t love her, sometimes I’m angry with her, sometimes I’m crazy about her, sometimes I’m very jealous of her, sometimes I wanna f***ing kill her.

“But through it all, at the end of the day, I love her more than anything in the world.”

As Sharon took over running Ozzy’s professional life, the Brummie lad quickly realised that he had never met a woman like her before.

In his 2009 biography, I Am Ozzy, he revealed: “I’d never come across a girl who was like me.

“Wherever we went, we were always the drunkest and the loudest.

“I learned that when Sharon is on a mission, she’ll throw herself at it, lock, stock and barrel, and not stop fighting until well after the bell’s rung.

“I trusted Sharon like I’d never trusted anyone before on the business side of things.”

 Me and Sharon were bonking all over the place. We couldn’t stop. Some nights Sharon would go out of one door and [first wife] Thelma would come in the other

Sharon

When Sharon was relaunching Ozzy as a solo star with a new album, Blizzard Of Ozz, and a tour following his firing from Black Sabbath in 1979, the star’s private life was falling apart.

He was married to Thelma Riley, had adopted her son Elliot from an earlier marriage and they had two kids of their own, Jessica and Louis.

After months of trying, Ozzy finally bedded Sharon after leaping into her bath at a hotel near Shepperton Studios.

He recalled: “Me and Sharon were bonking all over the place.

“We couldn’t stop.

“Some nights, Sharon would go out of one door and Thelma would come in the other.

“I was knackered all the time, ­having two women on the go.

“I don’t know how those French blokes do it.

“When I was with Sharon, I’d end up calling her ‘Tharon’, which earned me more than a few black eyes.

“I’d never known what it was like to fall in love before I met Sharon.

“We were inseparable.

“I realised that when you’re in love, it’s not just about the messing around in the sack, it’s about how empty you feel when they’re gone. And I couldn’t stand it when Sharon was gone.”

But when he split up with Thelma in 1981, Sharon bore the brunt of Ozzy’s anger.

He said: “I was a wreck.

“I was in love with Sharon, but at the same time I was cut to pieces by ­losing my family.

“I’d get drunk and try to hit her, and she’d throw things at me.

“Wine bottles, gold discs, TVs — you name it, it would all come flying across the room.

“I ain’t proud to admit that a few of my punches reached their target.”

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But the following year, Ozzy and Sharon married in Hawaii on the way to a gig.

The rocker didn’t make it back to their hotel room after the ­ceremony.

Sharon recalled: “The manager called and said, ‘Your husband is lying in the hall, will you come and get him’ and I said, ‘No I won’t’.”

While Sharon managed Ozzy’s soaring solo career, the couple welcomed their three children Aimee, 41, Kelly, 40, and Jack, 39.

But she could not curb her husband’s appetite for booze, illegal drugs and prescription pills.

‘Slumped in corridor’

When he got violent, Sharon would take her revenge like the time she took a hammer to all his gold records.

But seven years after their wedding, Ozzy tried to strangle Sharon while high on drugs and Russian vodka, at their 17th Century home in Little Chalfont, Bucks.

The family had gone to their bedrooms after returning from a local Chinese restaurant to celebrate Aimee’s sixth birthday.

Before lunging at Sharon, Ozzy stripped naked and told her: “We’ve had a little talk and it’s clear that you have to die.”

She pressed the panic button, ­alerting the police.

Ozzy woke up in a cell the next morning with no recollection of the attack, to find he had been charged with attempted murder.

Three months later, ahead of his court case, Sharon visited the rehab centre where Ozzy had been sent to dry out.

In his autobiography, Ozzy recalled how she told him: “I’m going to drop the charges.

“I don’t believe you’re capable of attempted murder, Ozzy.

People keep asking, ‘How come you and Sharon have stayed together all this time?’

Ozzy

“You’re a sweet, gentle man.

“But when you get drunk, Ozzy Osbourne disappears and someone else takes over.

“I want that other person to go away.

“I don’t want to see him again.”

But Ozzy instead developed a p­rescription pill addiction.

Sharon almost died from colon ­cancer during the making of their Noughties fly-on-the-wall MTV show, The Osbournes.

While she was still undergoing chemo, the couple retook their vows on New Year’s Eve 2002.

Ozzy revealed: “People keep asking, ‘How come you and Sharon have stayed together all this time?’.

“My answer was the same then as it is now. ‘I’ve never stopped telling my wife that I love her; I’ve never stopped taking her out for dinner; I’ve never stopped surprising her with ­little gifts’.

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“Unfortunately, I’d never stopped drinking and taking drugs, so the ­ceremony ended much the same as our original wedding — with me slumped in a corridor, p*ssed out of my brains.”

A year later, Ozzy had a near-fatal quad bike accident on their estate that required multiple surgeries and affected his long-term mobility. In the ­aftermath of the crash, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, only going public with the condition in 2020.

Meanwhile, Sharon — who described their life together as “a Shakespeare play” — slipped Ozzy extra sleeping pills in 2016 to extract a confession that he had been having an affair with his hairdresser.

It was also revealed that there were more mistresses.

Devastated, Sharon tried to kill herself but was found by a cleaner.

Jessie Breakwell, who worked as their nanny, said: “Ozzy was obsessed with her.

“They’d giggle and make jokes.

“It was genuine love.”

After Ozzy went to rehab for sex addiction, the couple reconciled and renewed their vows in Las Vegas in 2017.

Sharon admitted: “I love him.

“I can leave if I want, take half of everything and go. I don’t want to.”

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Wild and hilarious Ozzy stories

1. Ozzy once told Sharon: “Don’t cremate me, whatever you do.

“I want to be put in the ground, in a nice garden somewhere, with a tree over my head.

“A crabapple tree, preferably, so the kids can make wine out of me and get pissed out of their heads.

“As for what they’ll put on my headstone, I ain’t under any illusions.

“If I close my eyes, I can already see it:

“Ozzy Osbourne, born 1948

“Died, whenever.

“He bit the head off a bat.”

2. Ozzy decided to stop using acid while recording Black Sabbath album Vol 4.

He said: “I took ten tabs of acid then went for a walk in a field.

“I ended up standing there talking to this horse for about an hour.

“In the end, the horse turned around and told me to f**k off.

“That was it for me.”

3. The rocker began tattooing himself as a teenager while growing up in Birmingham.

He said: “I even put a smiley face on each of my knees to cheer myself up when I was sitting on the bog in the morning.”

Decades later he had ‘thanks’ tattooed on his right palm.

He said: “It seemed like a brilliant idea at the time.

“How many times do you say ‘thanks’ to people during your lifetime?

“Tens of thousands, probably.

“Now all I had to do was raise my right hand.”

4. The Osbournes had a donkey called Sally, who used to sit in the living room with Ozzy and watch Match Of The Day.

5. Former slaughterhouse worker Ozzy claimed to have killed his family’s cats while high.

He recalled: “I was ­taking drugs so much I was a f***ed.

“The final straw came when I shot all our cats.

“We had about 17, and I went crazy and shot them all.

“My wife found me under the piano in a white suit – a shotgun in one hand and a knife in the other.”

6. The Prince of Darkness was interested in the Bible.

He said: “I’ve tried to read it several times.

“But I’ve only ever got as far as the bit about Moses being 720 years old, and I’m like, ‘What were these people smoking back then?’”

7. Ozzy met the late Queen at the Royal Variety Performance.

He recalled: “I was standing next to Cliff Richard.

“She took one look at the two of us, and said, “Oh, so this is what they call variety, is it?” then cracked up laughing.

“I honestly thought Sharon must have slipped some acid into my ­cornflakes that morning.”

8. Ozzy loved putting hidden messages in songs.

He said: “On No Rest For The Wicked, if you play Bloodbath In Paradise backwards, you can clearly hear me saying, ‘Your mother sells whelks in Hull’.”

In this Wednesday’s Mirror Daily Digest, we’ve pulled together the biggest stories of the day – from Sharon Osbourne’s ‘final days’ plan for Ozzy, to a ‘mystery fish’ forcing a beach to evacuate

Welcome to the Mirror’s Daily Digest, where we pull together all the best stories of the day from our News, Showbiz, Sport teams and more. This Wednesday we’re featuring everything from a cricket legend’s plea for his wife to ‘help him end his life’, to the unmasking of the gangs exploiting migrants crossing into the UK.

Elsewhere, our Showbiz team have shared the heartbreaking story of Sharon Osbourne’s plan to make Ozzy comfortable in his final days, while our Lifestyle team reported on a brewing feud between neighbours over a garden fence.

Finally, our Travel team reported how a ‘mystery fish’ is attacking tourists and forcing a beach to evacuate.

Unmasked: Faces of migrant small boats criminals revealed for first time

Criminals responsible for hundreds of dangerous small boat crossings are being sanctioned – meaning they face having their assets seized and will be barred from entering the UK.

Today, these gangsters became the first people smugglers in the world to be sanctioned after the first wave of criminals was named. All face having their assets seized, and anyone in the UK caught doing business with them will face hefty sanctions.

Read the full story here.

Cricket legend Graham Thorpe ‘asked wife to help end his life’ before being hit by a train

Graham Thorpe asked his wife Amanda to help him end his suffering before he decided to take his own life, an inquest has heard.

Thorpe was found dead on August 4 after being hit by a train. The England cricket legend had been struggling with anxiety and depression before his death.

The 55-year-old had made an attempt on his life in May 2022 and spent a lengthy period of time in hospital recovering. That came after he had been sacked by the England and Wales Cricket Board as a coach of the England Test team following an incident on an Ashes tour of Australia.

Read the full story here.

Sharon Osbourne drew up heartbreaking two-year plan for Ozzy’s final days

Ozzy Osbourne faced a lengthy battle with his Parkinson’s disease before passing away at the age of 76, just days after his last ever gig. But his wife Sharon had long been determined to make his final years as comfortable as possible.

Ozzy and Sharon had previously expressed their desire to relocate back to the UK from Los Angeles. The couple have been living in the US for more than 20 years, but Birmingham-born Ozzy had said he was “desperate to come home”.

Sharon is said to have spent the past two years preparing for her husband’s final moments, renovating the Grade II-listed Buckinghamshire mansion they bought in 1993 to provide him with every comfort.

Plans were approved in 2023 for a ‘rehab wing’ with a health and welfare exercise studio along a flat for an on-site nurse, an art studio, pool house orangery with spa, wet room, and changing area. She was also the brains behind his farewell show after he was forced to cancel a series of concerts in 2023.

Read the full story here.

Beach evacuated in popular holiday hotspot after mystery fish ‘attacks tourist’

A Spanish beach at a popular holiday hotspot was cleared this week after a tourist was attacked by an unidentified marine creature. A red flag was lifted on Tuesday morning (July 22) at Playa de Palma, the main beach in Majorca’s capital, after a woman sustained a “severe bite” to her leg.

The holidaymaker, reportedly an 85-year-old Italian national, emerged from the water with “part of her calf torn off”, according to the Majorca Daily Bulletin. Lifeguards took the decision to clear the coastline to conduct a hunt for the animal, though the beach reopened roughly an hour later when no creature was discovered.

Read the full story here.

I agreed to move my neighbour’s fence – I was gobsmacked when I saw what they did

A homeowner was left gobsmacked when what they believed was a neighbourly favour resulted in a tradesman rocking up and beginning to lay tarmac across their property.

The resident revealed that their next-door neighbours had requested assistance to access their own driveway – and they’d initially agreed to shift a fence.

This was because houses on the cul-de-sac feature extremely cramped and awkwardly angled driveways, preventing residents from actually getting a motor onto them, ‘even though there is space further back’.

Read the full story here.

A balladeer in the body of a headbanger, Ozzy Osbourne brought soul and emotion to the heavy-metal genre he helped invent as the frontman of Black Sabbath and which he turned into a global force as an outrage-courting solo act. Osbourne, who died Tuesday at 76 — just weeks after he gave what he billed as his final performance in his hometown of Birmingham, England — sold tens of millions of albums, was twice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and late in life found an unlikely second career as a pioneering reality-television star. Here, in the order they were released, are 10 of his essential songs.

Black Sabbath, ‘Paranoid’ (1970)

As heavy as Black Sabbath was, the band could also be remarkably light on its feet, as in the group’s zippy breakout single, which hit No. 4 on the U.K. pop chart. “Paranoid” is narrated by a depressed young man who “can’t see the things that make true happiness,” as Osbourne sings against Tony Iommi’s chugging guitar riff. Yet the song keeps hurtling forward with a kind of dogged determination. Black Sabbath closed with “Paranoid” — current stream count on Spotify: 1.3 billion — at this month’s farewell concert.

Black Sabbath, ‘War Pigs’ (1970)
An antiwar protest song as pointed as John Fogerty’s “Fortunate Son,” “War Pigs” couches its musings on the mendacity of Vietnam’s architects in images of witches and sorcerers poisoning brainwashed minds. The disgust in Osbourne’s sneering vocal is still palpable.

Black Sabbath, ‘Iron Man’ (1970)
Leave it to Osbourne to find the empathy in this bludgeoning yet weirdly tender account of a guy who travels through time to save humanity only to be “turned to steel in the great magnetic field” on his return trip. “Nobody wants him / They just turn their heads,” he sings, “Nobody helps him / Now he has his revenge.”

Black Sabbath, ‘Sweet Leaf’ (1971)
A love song addressed to weed? Osbourne stretches the bit about as far as it can go as Iommi cranks out the sludgy lick that would later be sampled prominently by the Beastie Boys in their “Rhymin & Stealin.”

Black Sabbath, ‘Changes’ (1972)
Osbourne’s most touching vocal performance came in this woebegone piano ballad from Black Sabbath’s fourth album; he sings with so much agony about a romantic breakup that the song doesn’t even bother with guitar or drums. In 2003, Osbourne recut “Changes” as a duet with his then-19-year-old daughter Kelly; a decade later, the soul singer Charles Bradley recorded a wrenching cover not long before he died.

‘Crazy Train’ (1980)
Osbourne got the boot from Black Sabbath in 1979 after his bandmates tired of his drug and alcohol abuse. Yet Osbourne quickly rebounded as a solo act, scoring a Top 10 rock radio hit on his first try with “Crazy Train,” which he wrote and recorded with guitarist Randy Rhoads, who’d left Quiet Riot to join Osbourne’s band. Lyrically, “Crazy Train” contemplates the “millions of people living as foes” amid the Cold War — a dark theme that somehow led to Osbourne’s most euphoric song.

‘Mr. Crowley’ (1980)
To follow up “Crazy Train,” Osbourne and Rhoads — who would tragically die in a plane crash in 1982 while on tour with Osbourne — revived Black Sabbath’s preoccupation with the occult for this midtempo jam about the self-styled prophet Aleister Crowley.

‘No More Tears’ (1991)

Unlike many heavy-metal elders, Osbourne stayed relevant into the grunge era with hits like the bleakly hypnotic title track from his quadruple-platinum “No More Tears” LP, which showcased his close collaboration with guitarist Zakk Wylde.

‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ (1991)
“No More Tears” yielded another staple of early-’90s MTV in this soaring power ballad that Osbourne and Wylde wrote with Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead.

Post Malone featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Travis Scott, ‘Take What You Want’ (2019)
At 70, Osbourne surprised many with his robust vocal cameo in this trap-metal pile-up from Post Malone’s smash “Hollywood’s Bleeding” LP. The singer’s collaboration with producer Andrew Watt on “Take What You Want” led to Osbourne’s recruiting Watt to oversee his final two solo albums: 2020’s “Ordinary Man” and 2022’s Grammy-winning “Patient Number 9.”

He bowed out with a massive gig at his beloved Villa Park this weekend but pals reckon Ozzy won’t stop making music amid fears he’ll die if he retires

Ozzy Osbourne is plotting to continue working despite his huge Birmingham gig being declared his farewell night, a pal has revealed. The Black Sabbath frontman has told friends he sees a future for him in the music industry even though the Back To The Beginning gig at Villa Park was promoted as the Brummie’s career finale.

The 76-year-old cannot see himself retiring despite his neck, back and Parkinson’s issues – because of what happened to his dad when he retired.

One friend – who has known Ozzy for several decades – said he “always thinks about his dad when it comes to retirement” because his father died just a few days after giving up work.

READ MORE: Bob Geldof tells why Live Aid’s rock ‘n’ roll romance wouldn’t work 40 years on

Already, Ozzy is said to be secretly plotting a new album for later in the year and is hoping to reunite with award-winning producer Andrew Watt. His old friend teased: “I would not be surprised if, knowing Ozzy, he would do something around a stage to promote that.

“Oz has made it clear many many times that he doesn’t want to simply retire and stop making music or feeling the love from live audiences.

“He feels that he will wither away and pass if he stops altogether. His biggest worry – and he has said this often – is that the same thing happens to him as his father. That haunts him.

“He has told us many times about how his father told him, ‘I have always wanted to dig the garden’. Ozzy then revealed he dug up the garden and died. Working is what keeps Ozzy going.

“There is a sense that he needs to be in the spotlight no matter how challenging his medical conditions. He loves the buzz of getting love from his fans – it’s in his DNA.”

That insight comes as the self-styled Prince Of Darkness wowed fans after reuniting with the original Black Sabbath members for the first time in 20 years at the weekend, also performing five solo songs during his star-studded Back To The Beginning.

The supershow included sets from Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer and Tool. Ozzy belted out solo hits including Mr Crowley, Mama I’m Coming Home and Crazy Train plus War Pigs, Iron Man and Paranoid with Black Sabbath, as the fans went wild.

He was sent a video message from Sir Elton John, played out on the giant screens, in which he told Ozzy: “You are one of the most remarkable singers of our time. You are the king, you are the legend. You’ve been through so much crap in the last few years – I hope this is the best day of your life so far.”

Fans saw the reality of Ozzy’s medical woes as he performed on stage while seated on a winged throne. He had spent months working with physios and trainers to be able to stand fully, but “just could not make it.”

Speaking a few months ago, the rocker said he was struggling to walk more than a few feet unaided, explaining: “I am 70 f***ing six and even being over 70 is f***ing doing my brains in.”

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BLACK Sabbath fans were left stunned by sky-high prices at Villa Park – with a pint setting punters back up to £8 during the legendary band’s final hometown gig.

The Back to the Beginning supershow, held at Aston Villa’s stadium in Birmingham, marks Ozzy Osbourne’s last ever live performance – and the first time the full band have played together in two decades.

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But for many fans, the bar and food prices were almost as jaw-dropping as the music.

Inside the venue, a pint of Poretti lager was going for £8, with a half pint at £4.

A pint of Somersby cider wasn’t far behind at £7, or £3.50 for a half.

Cocktail fans after something stronger had to fork out £13 for a draught Rum Punch – while even a bottle of water cost £3.50.

In the Doug Ellis stand, the prices were just as steep – with a Carlsberg Pilsner priced at £6.50, a glass of wine for £7, and both a gin and tonic and a vodka lemonade costing £7.50 each.

And it wasn’t just the drinks that had fans digging deep.

Food options were limited and pricey too – with a sausage roll setting you back £5, a steaky pasty £6.50, and Yardbirds chicken and chips costing a whopping £15.

Even the basics weren’t cheap – a can of Coke was £3.50, a bar of chocolate £2.50, and a bag of Walkers crisps £2.20.

Fancy a hot drink? That’s £3.95 for a tea and £4.50 for an espresso.

Fans weren’t impressed.

Some took to social media to vent their frustration, saying the prices were “festival-level rip-offs” and that it “left a bad taste before the music even started”.

One gig-goer told us: “I knew it’d be expensive but £8 for a pint and £7 for chips? That’s taking the Mick.”

Another said: “You expect a bit of markup, but this is madness.

Ozzy’s not the only one going out with a bang – so is my bank account.”

The backlash over food and drink prices follows recent criticism surrounding the cost of VIP meet-and-greet packages with Ozzy Osbourne, set to take place during his upcoming appearance at Comic Con Midlands.

Fans are being charged £666 for the ‘Ultimate Sin’ VIP package – which includes a group photo with Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly, and Jack. But only two people are allowed per photo (except under-5s).

Want an autograph? That’ll cost extra.

Ozzy will sign a book for £225, or a poster, album or toy for £375. And if you want him to sign your guitar or mic?

That’ll be £750 – bringing the total package cost to £1,416.

Fan backlash has been fierce. One wrote: “Laughable prices, genuinely laughable.”

Another joked: “Time to start selling me kidney.”

While fans might be fuming over costs, the buzz inside Villa Park is electric.

This is a historic night – the last time Birmingham’s own heavy metal gods will share the stage in their hometown.

Ozzy, who’s battled serious health issues in recent years, admitted he won’t be performing a full set.

He said: “We’re only playing a couple of songs each.

“I don’t want people thinking ‘we’re getting ripped off’, because it’s just going to be … what’s the word? … a sample.”

He added: “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up.”

The Back to the Beginning festival line-up is packed with legends, including Metallica, Slayer and Pantera – all joining in to celebrate Black Sabbath’s final bow.

Fans from across the UK – and some flying in from overseas – have packed out the stadium to say one last goodbye to the band that helped invent heavy metal.

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