Ozzy Osbourne didnโt want his funeral to be a โmope-fest,โ instead a celebration of his life.
More than a decade before the Black Sabbath frontmanโs family confirmed his death at the age of 76 on July 22, Osbourne had been asked his thoughts on funeral plans.
In a Dear Ozzy column for The Times in 2011, one person asked if it was โtoo morbid to plan your own funeral? Or is it a thoughtful gift for your surviving relatives?โ
Osbourne’s reply indicated that he would very much like it to be a joyful moment.
โI honestly donโt 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 โem happy,โ Osbourne replied, before noting, โbut I do want to make sure itโs a celebration, not a mope-fest.โ
โIโd also like some pranks: maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin; or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of โdeath,โโ the rock star continued. โThereโll be no harping on the bad times.โ
Answering the person, he continued, โSo to answer your question, yes, a bit of planning is the right thing to do for the family you leave behind.โ
He noted that โitโs worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives. So by any measure, most of us in this country โ especially rock stars like me โ are very lucky.โ
The Prince of Darkness, as he was nicknamed, concluded, โThatโs why I donโt want my funeral to be sad. I want it to be a time to say โthanks.โโ
Osbourne leaves behind wife Sharon Osbourne, six children and 10 grandkids.
Members of his family released a statement following news of his death, stating, โIt 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.โ
The family did not share a cause of death.
On July 5, Osbourne, who was diagnosed with Parkinsonโs disease in 2019,reunited with Black Sabbath for a farewell concert called โBack to the Beginning.โ The sold-out show took place in his hometown of Birmingham, England.
During the concert, the singer expressed his gratitude in a heartfelt message.
โI donโt know what to say, man, Iโve been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel โ thank you from the bottom of my heart,โ said the rock legend, according to The Associated Press. โYouโre all โฆ special. Letโs go crazy โ come on!โ
