Paramedics reportedly spent two hours treating Ozzy Osbourne before his death on Tuesday, July 22.
The Daily Mail reports that an air ambulance was called to Welders House, the BLACK SABBATH singer’s mansion in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom mansion, on Tuesday morning. Just 15 minutes later, at 10:30 a.m., the chopper landed in a field near the Osbourne estate. Around 12:30 p.m., the paramedics returned to their base 27 miles away at RAF Benson, near Wallingford, South Oxfordshire.
“We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday,” a spokesperson for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance wrote to the Daily Mail.
Ozzy‘s 85-year-old sister Jean Powell also spoke to The Mirror about the singer’s death and said that it was unexpected. “He was frail but it still came as a shock,” she said. “He still had plans and things he wanted to do. We don’t know the details of his death; it’s still too early. It’s just so sad. I’m just thankful he died in England.”
Ozzy died Tuesday morning (July 22),his family announced in a 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,” the family said.
No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson’s disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.
The legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman was diagnosed in 2003 with Parkin 2 — a very rare genetic form of Parkinson’s. During a TV appearance in January 2020, the singer disclosed that he was ‘stricken” with the disease which occurs when the nerve cells of the body degenerate and levels of dopamine are reduced. Dopamine is an essential chemical that is produced by these nerve cells which send signals to different parts of the brain to control movements of the body.
Ozzy‘s health issues, including suffering a nasty fall and dislodging metal rods placed in his spine following a quad-bike accident in 2003, as well as catching COVID-19 three years ago, forced him to cancel some of his previously announced tours.
Despite his health problems, Osbourne had performed a couple of times in the last three years, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022 and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game in September 2022.
Ozzy played his final show less than three weeks ago at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. At the time he told fans: “You’ve no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
Ozzy‘s final concert saw him and his fellow original SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward perform four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. The festival titled “Back To The Beginning” served as a tribute to the legendary heavy metal act, including additional performances from such other groups as METALLICA, GUNS N’ ROSES, SLAYER, TOOL, PANTERA and ALICE IN CHAINS. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.
In a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, Osbourne said he would “die a happy man” if he could perform one more show to express his gratitude to his fans from the stage.
“If I can’t continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, ‘Hi, guys. Thanks so much for my life.’ That’s what I’m working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man,” he said at the time.
When Ozzy announced that he was retiring from touring in 2023, he said in a statement: “In all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I’m not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/U.K. tour dates, as I know I couldn”t deal with the travel required. Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really fucks me up, more than you will ever know. Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way.”
Osbourne leaves behind his wife, Sharon, and their children, Aimee, Kelly and Jack, as well his two older children, Jessica and Louis, from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, and grandchildren.
Photo credit: Ross Halfin
