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Kelly Osbourne has marked the first anniversary of her father Ozzy Osbourne’s death with a tribute on social media
In an emotional Instagram post, Kelly shared a black-and-white photo of a young Ozzy, shown laughing at someone off-camera. She also posted a lengthy, heartfelt letter to the Black Sabbath frontman, addressed to “My Daddy.”
The musician, who was born in Birmingham, England, died at the age of 76 in the U.K. from a cardiac arrest, his death certificate said. He had also suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease.
In the letter, Kelly reflected on Ozzy’s death, her deep love for him and the toll of her grief, writing: “I always thought life was hard, but life without you has been the hardest thing I have ever had to endure.”
She added, “This past year has broken me in ways I never knew were possible. Everything you warned me would happen, happened, but I want you to know that I listened. I did everything you told me to do, and I will continue to follow your words for the rest of my life. Your voice still guides me every day.”
Click the right arrow on the Instagram post below to read the full letter.
Kelly, who has one son, wrote of her longing for Ozzy to see his grandchild.
“Oh, Daddy, you would adore the little man he is becoming,” she wrote. “Every single day I catch glimpses of you in him. Your smile. Your spirit. Your mannerisms. Sometimes it stops me in my tracks because it feels as though you’ve found a way to remind me that love never truly leaves us. Seeing you reflected in him is one of the greatest gifts I have ever been given.”
She also addressed Ozzy’s impact on his fans. “Person after person came forward with stories of the hope you gave them, the kindness you showed them, the strength you inspired in them.” She added, “You were a true, working-class hero who never forgot where he came from.”
Kelly ended the letter by vowing to love and carry her father with her for the rest of her days, and she thanked him for loving her “fiercely.” She signed the letter, “Your little Kelly.”
Before posting her tribute, Kelly shared what she’s learned about grief in the last year with her followers. “It can not be explained, borrowed or imagined,” she wrote. “You only understand its endless ache when you’ve stood in the unbearable silence, carrying a love that has nowhere left to go.”
Ozzy’s widow, Sharon Osbourne, spoke to the BBC about the anniversary, urging fans to play music “really loud” to remember him. In a rare interview with BBC Radio WM (the BBC’s West Midlands station), Sharon said she wanted people to “remember how funny he was. Funny and charismatic and real.”
She added, “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 headbang.’”
Born John Michael Osbourne, Ozzy rose to fame as the so-called Prince of Darkness with the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, which he cofounded in 1968. The band’s hits included "Paranoid," "Iron Man" and "War Pigs."
After Ozzy’s 1979 departure from the band due to substance abuse issues, he launched a successful solo career beginning with 1980's Blizzard of Ozz, which included his hit track "Crazy Train."
He further rose to fame alongside his wife Sharon, whom he married in 1982 and their three children, Aimee, Jack and Kelly, in the MTV reality TV series The Osbournes.
In January 2020, Ozzy announced he had been previously diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, a progressive nervous system disorder. He later told the Los Angeles Times he had lived with the condition since 2003.
"I'm not dying from Parkinson's. I've been working with it most of my life," the singer told the newspaper. "I've cheated death so many times. If tomorrow you read 'Ozzy Osbourne never woke up this morning,' you wouldn't go, 'Oh, my God!' You'd go, 'Well, it finally caught up with him.'"
In addition to Parkinson's, the musician also suffered other health issues, such as a severe staph infection in 2018 and multiple spinal surgeries following a fall that aggravated a prior injury.
