Ozzy Will Never be Far Away - A Personal Reflection

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By: Michael Drukarsh - Truth be told, we all thought Ozzy was going to pass many years ago and many times over. When I first saw him in 1984 for the Bark at the Moon Tour, I clearly remember nudging my buddy AJ during the opening of "Center of Eternity" and commenting on how out of breath Ozzy was. We thought he was old even then. We were 13, he was 36. Ozzy has been a part of my life since I was 10 years old. I often joked that I knew more about his life than he does because I have been sober through it all.

His music has been the soundtrack to my life, celebrating with me through the best of times and consoling me through horrible times. While most kids wore button down shirts and ties to their bar mitzvah party, I wore a sleeveless Ozzy jersey. Through high school and then into university I was known to many as Ozzy, so much so that my mother finally got used to getting phone calls asking if Ozzy was home. I still have some who call me Ozzy to this day.

Ozzy defied the odds, so many times, beyond the well documented copious amounts of alcohol and drugs consumed throughout his career. The infamous dove and bat biting incident could have easily left him dead from rabies or other transmitted diseases. He could have easily wound up in prison for life after trying to kill his wife and manager Sharon. Hell, even SARS couldn't kill him, which he proved by playing an extended concert in Toronto back in 2003 despite many bands pulling out and having his tour insurer actually cancel his policy. "The media have made such a big fucking deal out of it" Ozzy told Much Music. "It's not the black plague." "Come to the show," Ozzy told Toronto fans. "I'll be there. SARS won't keep me away. Fuck SARS, man." Later that year, Ozzy was in a quad bike accident that almost left him paralyzed. Over and over, Ozzy defied the odds while many of his contemporaries, like one of his best friends, Lemmy Kilmister were unable to outrun the reaper.

Shortly after seeing Ozzy one last time live in Toronto in 2018, the world shut down due to covid and Ozzy stopped touring. A Parkinson's diagnosis in 2020 didn’t really slow him down as he released two incredible albums, 2020’s Ordinary Man and 2022’s Patient Number 9 but his touring days were sadly over.

But, only 17 days ago, Ozzy, like the Prince of Darkness he is, was once again resurrected, coming to life on stage to celebrate not only his legacy but that of his original band Black Sabbath. A full day of tributes and honours bestowed upon the legend and his band who are credited with starting Heavy Metal. As 50,000 fans watched live and 5 million watched via live stream from around the world, Ozzy took the stage one more time, first as a solo artist and then with Sabbath. Sitting up on his throne as royalty should, Ozzy amazed us all with two incredible sets sounding as powerful as ever. This was to be his final performance.

As reported by news outlets around the world, John Michael (Ozzy) Osbourne passed away July 22, 20025. It is said that those close to death hold on for that one special moment, that one last thing in life that must be accomplished before letting go. Ozzy, who has been living in pain for so many years, did just that. He held on, knowing that something special was going to happen, and it did. Back to the Beginning, in his home town of Aston gave him the peace he was looking for and a final goodbye to friends, to all the past.

I've met Ozzy once and have seen him countless times over the years including the SARS concert and had the privilege in 1999, to see him with the original Sabbath. I'm so glad to have been able to watch the entire Back to the Beginning concert and be in awe of Ozzy and of Black Sabbath one more time. I have almost every piece of music he's released so despite his passing, Ozzy will never be very far away.

GOOD NIGHT, GOD BLESS, HE LOVED YOU ALL!

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