Sharon Osbourne has spoken out for the first time since the death of her husband Ozzy aged 76 on Tuesday, replying to heartfelt messages from fans.
English musician Gavin Rossdale took to Instagram shortly after the news broke to pay tribute to the heavy metal icon, writing: ‘RIP OZZY – a great man -a true legend – I met Ozzy through Jack just a few times but he was so warm and kind and funny and I love that memory.
‘Sending much love to his family at this difficult time. Rest in power.’
Osbourne’s heartbroken wife Sharon replied to his post: ‘Bless you.’
The Black Sabbath legend’s passing was announced by his family on Tuesday night.
They said 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. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.’
On Wednesday night fans started to spot Sharon’s sweet responses.
Sharon Osbourne has spoken out for the first time since the death of her husband Ozzy, replying to heartfelt messages from fans (pictured: the pair at the 2020 Grammy Awards)
He married Sharon, the daughter of the band’s manager Don Arden, on July 4, 1982 (pictured: the pair at the 2017 Pride of Britain Awards)
English musician Gavin Rossdale took to Instagram shortly after the news broke to pay tribute to the heavy metal icon. Sharon responded later in the day
She replied to BBC Radio 1 DJ Jack Saunders’ message of support.
‘Jack thank you for your tribute to Ozzy tonight, bless you,’ she commented.
Osbourne married Sharon, the daughter of the band’s manager Don Arden, on July 4, 1982.
After having daughter Aimee, now 38, in 1983, the couple went on to have Kelly, 37, in 1984, and Jack, 36, in 1985.
Prior to his union with Sharon, Osbourne had been married to first wife Thelma Riley for 11 years, from 1971 until 1982.
The pair had children Jessica and Louis together, whilst Osbourne also adopted Thelma’s son Elliot.
The rocker was able to bid an emotional farewell to his fans on stage this month as he reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates for the first time since 2005.
‘You’ve no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart,’ Osbourne told the crowd in his final speech.
The music legend vowed, however, that it would be his final ever performance due to his health, having opened up about his battle with Parkinson’s in 2020.
The star was a titan of music who somehow survived controversies that would end the careers of many others, and weathered health problems that would leave most of us on our backs.
Ozzy and Sharon turned themselves and their children into TV stars with their documentary The Osbournes (pictured: the singer with Sharon and Kelly in 2020)
Kelly, Ozzy, Sharon and Jack Osbourne pictured at the Pride of Britain awards at The Grosvenor House Hotel on September 28, 2015 in London
Osbourne with daughters Kelly and Aimee, wife Sharon and son Jack in 2002 – the year that the family’s show The Osbournes began
He is seen above on his wedding day in 1982 with Sharon, her parents Hope (far left) and Don Arden and his mother Lillian (second from right) and sister Jean
Whether it was biting the head off both a bat and a dove, snorting a line of ants or urinating on a US war memorial while wearing one of his wife Sharon’s dresses, Osbourne was defined by his antics both on and off stage.
The singer, who sold more than 100 million records, will forever be synonymous with the heavy metal band he formed in his home city of Birmingham in 1969.
With hits that included Iron Man, War Pigs and Paranoid, Black Sabbath’s pushing of occult themes proved both hugely popular and controversial, with a future pope even condemning Osbourne for his ‘subliminal satanic influence’.
On Wednesday, MailOnline revealed that an air ambulance was called to Osbourne’s multi-million-pound country home as paramedics battled to save his life.
The Thames Valley air ambulance landed in a field close to Welders House, the singer’s Grade II listed mansion on Tuesday morning at around 10.30am.
It’s believed that calls from Welders House had led call handlers to believe that the Black Sabbath singer’s life was in the balance.
A chopper was dispatched from Thames Valley ambulance base at RAF Benson in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, some 27 miles from the mansion which is located close to the village of Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire.
The crew were airborne for around 15 minutes before landing in the grounds of the mansion and were then with Osbourne for around two hours, trying but failing to save his life, it’s understood.
News of the helicopter drama is the first insight into the finer details of the singer’s death.
Locals in the village of Jordans, which adjoins Osbourne’s home told MailOnline that they realised ‘something serious’ was taking place when they heard a helicopter hovering above Welders and then saw it land nearby.
It was seen taking off again at around 12.30pm.
Osbourne pictured at his Black Sabbath farewell gig at Villa Park stadium in July 2025
Osbourne, who has died aged 76, had a career that was defined by his antics both on and off-stage. Pictured: The star leaving hospital (left) on June 16, 2022, after a major back operation; performing with Black Sabbath in 1978 (right)
One resident, who did not wish to be named said: ‘I went out to have a look and saw that it was landing close to Osbourne’s house.
‘All of us were talking about it and wondering what had happened. We immediately feared it may be for him as he was known to be in fragile health.
‘When we heard later that night that he had died it confirmed our worst fears.’
A spokesperson for Thames Valley Air Ambulance confirmed to MailOnline: ‘We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday.’
Osbourne’s 125-year-old country pile is surrounded by a 350-acre estate which he and Sharon bought in the summer of 1993 for an undisclosed sum.
Ahead of his arrival in the UK for his farewell concert in Birmingham three weeks ago it had undergone a major refurbishment which included a dedicated rehab wing, swimming pool and pond so that he could spend more time there as his health deteriorated.
Another local, Jane, also saw the Air Ambulance.
She told MailOnline: ‘I was out walking when I saw the helicopter landing close to Welders and realised something serious was happening….
Medics were called to Osbourne’s Welders House Buckinghamshire mansion on Tuesday morning
A crew from the Thames Valley Air Ambulance was reportedly scrambled at about 10.30am (Stock Photo)
Heavy metal hellraiser Osbourne passed away at the Buckinghamshire mansion, pictured, where his wife Sharon had spent at least two years preparing for his final moments
‘Ozzy Osbourne was quite a character and we’ll miss him.’
The Thames Valley Air Ambulance service is based at RAF Benson in Wallingford, Oxfordshire and covers Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. It can reach any location within these three counties in a maximum of 15 minutes.
The Air Ambulance base is around 27 miles from the property with locals telling MailOnline that after seeing it land, they saw it take off again and fly over Jordans at around 12.30pm.
It only has one helicopter which is painted bright red and is routinely called out to provide critical care to patients in emergency situations. This can range from road traffic accidents to those who have suffered a heart attack or stroke.
Thames Valley Air Ambulance receives no government or NHS funding and relies entirely on donations and is a registered charity.
Earlier this week, it revealed that it had logged its 20,000th emergency call out since becoming an independent healthcare provider in 2018, which allows it to crew its aircraft with its own medical staff. This equates to an average of nine call outs per day.
