'Play music loud to remember Ozzy' says Sharon on first anniversary of his death

ByClare Lissaman

West Midlands

Sharon Osbourne, the widow of dense metallic pioneer Ozzy, has utilized the archetypal day of his decease to archer fans to retrieve him by playing euphony "really loud".

Osbourne spoke to the BBC precisely a twelvemonth connected from her husband's passing, which led to an outpouring of nationalist grief, and solemnisation of his publication to music.

In a uncommon interrogation astir her feelings pursuing the events of summertime 2025, and her dependable breaking with emotion astatine times, she told BBC Radio WM that she wanted radical to "remember however comic helium was - comic and charismatic and real".

"As Ozzy would say, 'when you privation to retrieve me, conscionable yank up the euphony truly loud, arsenic large arsenic you tin get it, and conscionable caput bang'."

Osbourne was successful her precocious husband's hometown of Birmingham arsenic the metropolis connected Wednesday prepared to clasp its first Ozzy Day, with a escaped solemnisation of the Black Sabbath frontman who was calved and raised successful the Aston area.

"He was authentic," she remembered.

"He ne'er tried to beryllium thing different than what helium was, and helium would archer you the information astir everything and that was him, you knew wherever you were with him.

"He was conscionable genuine, truthful genuine and funny," she added.

"I mean we could person the worst arguments successful the satellite but we would extremity up laughing due to the fact that helium would accidental thing truthful ridiculous that we would conscionable ace up."

Ozzy, known affectionately - contempt the rubric - arsenic The Prince of Darkness, died connected 22 July past year, little than 3 weeks aft the band's farewell Back to the Beginning gig astatine Villa Park.

The star, who was 76, had a bid of wellness problems and had been diagnosed with Parkinson's successful 2019.

The performance raised wealth for three charities, including Cure Parkinson's, Acorns Children's Hospice and Birmingham Children's Hospital's charity.

His widow told the BBC the foundation enactment was "something that volition spell on".

"We volition proceed that until we find a cure for Parkinson's, due to the fact that radical don't realise it's much and much prevalent," she said.

She besides praised the "amazing" enactment of Acorns which she visited connected Tuesday.

And she said the infirmary had treated her hubby for whooping cough for six weeks erstwhile helium was a child.

"He was conscionable a existent bloke, a truly bully bloke with a large bosom and helium wanted to springiness back," she said.

One twelvemonth on, Osbourne said she was besides looking to the future, hoping that Ozzy Day would proceed arsenic portion of the star's legacy.

"This is the location of metal," she said of Birmingham. "It's Ozzy's home, it's wherever helium was born, what helium loved and [Ozzy Day] wouldn't enactment anyplace else," she said.

"He loved this city, helium loved its people. He was arrogant of being a Brummie and that's it."

In the meantime, determination are the memories.

Osbourne described past year's Back to the Beginning gig, which included Metallica, Guns N' Roses and Slayer, arsenic "beautiful".

"It was thing my family, my grandchildren, my children volition ne'er forget," she said.

"The outpouring of emotion and respect that was determination for Ozzy, and it conscionable meant everything."

She added: "It went each implicit the satellite and radical from each implicit the satellite were penning to america and saying what a beauteous happening it was."