The legendary musician Ozzy Osbourne passed away last week at the age of 76 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
While he didn’t really have any preferences on how his funeral should go, he did specify one rule for it.
He was asked about it in 2011
The Black Sabbath frontman, also known as the Prince of Darkness was asked about preferences regarding his own memorial, which he clarified in a column for the Times of London in 2011.
Osbourne doesn’t have plans for the most part
At the time, Osbourne said, “I honestly don’t 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 ’em happy.”
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“But I do want to make sure it’s a celebration, not a mope-fest.”
The rocker’s condition is no moping
Osbourne stated he didn’t want people to be sad at his funeral, but rather have it be an event of celebration.
The rocker would also like people to have fun by playing pranks at the event.
He explained it would make it more positive
“I’d 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 ‘death.’ There’ll be no harping on the bad times,” Osbourne said.
The performer believes planning is important
“So to answer your question, yes, a bit of planning is the right thing to do for the family you leave behind,” the hitmaker went on.
He doesn’t feel like people should feel sad at his funeral, having been as lucky as he is.
Osbourne feels his life’s happiness should be reflected
The performer added that it’s “worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives. So by any measure, most of us in this country — especially rock stars like me — are very lucky.”
“That’s why I don’t want my funeral to be sad. I want it to be a time to say thanks,” Osbourne concluded.
He also got the performance he wished for
Osbourne also got the final performance he wished for. The rocker’s death came only weeks after he reunited with Black Sabbath for a charity gig in their hometown of Birmingham.
In 2023, he told Rolling Stone he’d “die a happy man” if he got to express his gratitude to fans one last time at a farewell show. While the gig at Birmingham wasn’t meant to be so, it ended up being his final hurrah.
