Ozzy Osbourne, a GRAMMY Award-winning singer, reality star and early architect of heavy metal music, was deeply touched by the gift of a Holy Bible from a young evangelist. The singer, who passed away on July 22 at age 76, encountered Dylan Novak, known as the “Celebrity Evangelist” at a meet and greet in 2023. Novak gave a one-on-one gospel presentation with personal gifts, including a personalized Bible.
“I was very thankful to have a moment to talk with Mr. Osbourne at his table,” Novak wrote in a social media post. “I introduced myself and told him I had him a gift based on his spiritual beliefs, he said, ‘Let’s see it!’ I pulled out a new believers Bible that is easy to read. As he was looking at it, he said, ‘Is that my name on the cover?’”
Novak gave the “Prince of Darkness” the Bible, a personal letter telling him how much he cares about him and his soul, evangelistic tracts, and the book “Gasp!” by Christian author Tony Nolan. Osbourne had been quoted by Spin magazine that he considered himself a Christian, although he added that he didn’t attend church.
Novak has given such gifts to celebrities such as Tom Cruise, Donald Trump, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jim Carrey and Burt Reynolds for many years, but he doesn’t always know the impact they will have on the receiver. With Osbourne, however, the impact was strong and immediate.
At a follow-up convention, Jack Osbourne, Ozzy’s son, recognized Novak from his earlier encounter. He approached Novak to relate what the Bible had meant to his father.
“He said, ‘I want to tell you something. Your gift meant more to dad than you know. He wouldn’t go to his hotel room without your gift. He specifically said, ‘Where’s my Bible? I’m not going up without it.’ We had to go back down to find it at his table, and he said, ‘I want the rest of it too. There was a letter too.’
Osbourne had a day off during his weekend in Philadelphia and, according to Jack, he wanted to pore through the material on his day off.
“Jack said during their family lunch the next day, the Gospel material was the topic of conversation, and that it meant a lot that each gift and letter was specific and not generic,” he said. “He then went on to say Ozzy has had the Bible on his bedside table since being home and has been showing everyone who comes to visit the ‘Bible that has my name on it!’”
Osbourne was recently honored during the final Black Sabbath show in Birmingham on July 5 that included tributes from Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, and many more. On July 22, his family released the following statement announcing his passing:
“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,” Osbourne’s family said in a statement to CNN. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
For more information about Dylan Novak and his ministry as the “Celebrity Evangelist,” visit his website here. Watch Novak talk about the encounter below:
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