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

Sharon Osbourne, the widow of heavy metal pioneer Ozzy, has used the first anniversary of his death to tell fans to remember him by playing music “really loud”.

Osbourne spoke to the BBC exactly a year on from her husband’s passing, which led to an outpouring of public grief, and celebration of his contribution to music.

In a rare interview about her feelings following the events of summer 2025, and her voice breaking with emotion at times, she told BBC Radio WM that she wanted people to “remember how funny he was – funny and charismatic and real”.

“As Ozzy would say, ‘when you want to remember me, just yank up the music really loud, as loud as you can get it, and just head bang’.”

Osbourne was in her late husband’s hometown of Birmingham as the city on Wednesday prepared to hold its first Ozzy Day, with a free celebration of the Black Sabbath frontman who was born and raised in the Aston area.

“He was authentic,” she remembered.

“He never tried to be anything other than what he was, and he would tell you the truth about everything and that was him, you knew where you were with him.

“He was just genuine, so genuine and funny,” she added.

“I mean we could have the worst arguments in the world but we would end up laughing because he would say something so ridiculous that we would just crack up.”

Ozzy, known affectionately – despite the title – as The Prince of Darkness, died on 22 July last year, less than three weeks after the band’s farewell Back to the Beginning gig at Villa Park.

The star, who was 76, had a series of health problems and had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2019.

The concert raised money for three charities, including Cure Parkinson’s, Acorns Children’s Hospice and Birmingham Children’s Hospital’s charity.

His widow told the BBC the charity support was “something that will go on”.

“We will continue that until we find a cure for Parkinson’s, because people don’t realise it’s more and more prevalent,” she said.

She also praised the “amazing” work of Acorns which she visited on Tuesday.

And she said the hospital had treated her husband for whooping cough for six weeks when he was a child.

“He was just a real bloke, a really good bloke with a big heart and he wanted to give back,” she said.

One year on, Osbourne said she was also looking to the future, hoping that Ozzy Day would continue as part of the star’s legacy.

“This is the home of metal,” she said of Birmingham. “It’s Ozzy’s home, it’s where he was born, what he loved and [Ozzy Day] wouldn’t work anywhere else,” she said.

“He loved this city, he loved its people. He was proud of being a Brummie and that’s it.”

In the meantime, there are the memories.

Osbourne described last year’s Back to the Beginning gig, which included Metallica, Guns N’ Roses and Slayer, as “beautiful”.

“It was something my family, my grandchildren, my children will never forget,” she said.

“The outpouring of love and respect that was there for Ozzy, and it just meant everything.”

She added: “It went all over the world and people from all over the world were writing to us and saying what a beautiful thing it was.”

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