The death of Ozzy Osbourne has hit the music community hard. Not just in rock in roll but all genres of music lovers. Even if you didn’t like the guy, heard crazy stories about him, or just was curious about him, you knew who he was.
Like most people, he had his share of demons. He was open about his drug addictions, especially when he was sobering up. This inspired a lot of people to clean themselves up too. In fact, some people thought Ozzie was a bit of demon himself during his performances with biting off heads of animals, his “Satanic” lyrics and so much more. A lot of this came from what Ozzy knew vs, what he did not know. A lot of it was because he was on those drugs.
This week (as of this writing) Ozzy had a bit of a royal procession to his final resting place in his hometown of Birmingham, England where fans and friends alike said their last goodbyes as the hearse passed and fans saw the family in grief.
It was also in Birmingham where he had his last concert with his friends, family, and his fans just a few weeks ago.
In reflecting on the concert, it was how Ozzie wanted it and personally, I have a lot of respect for that decision. Not only was it done on his own terms, but it didn’t involve the usual farewell tours you see with most artists retiring…only to go back on tour again. With Ozzie, that was not his style. If he was going to stop performing, he was going do it the only way he knew how…and do it the rock and roll way.
And it wasn’t just the reuniting with Black Sabbath that made this special. It was metal history in one show. It harkened back to the days of the big arena concerts of the late 80s and 90s. So for fans at the venue as well as watching live or on a video replay, it gave them the memories they needed.
While Ozzie might’ve had this dark side persona, he really was a ball of light to the world. He showed people that it was ok to be yourself, make amends where you needed to, and live and end your life on your own terms. But more importantly, what you saw was what you got. And I think that’s why he had such lasting power.
Even then the family had their own reality show, The Osbournes, he never waivered or sold out who he was as a rocker or as a person. In addition, we got to see what he was like, especially as a father. That’s probably why he became so endearing to his current fans and new fans he made along the way.
In short, Ozzie Osbourne meant a lot to so many especially friends you never would of thought of: Paul McCartney, who was his idol growing up while watching The Beatles; Elton John, who referred to him as one of the funniest men on earth, and more. Now he is not longer in pain with his Parkinson’s disease. He can rock on in our memories.
As the title of one of my favorite Ozzy Osbourne songs says “See You on the Other Side.”
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