Ozzy Osbourne’s official Instagram account is paying tribute to him after his death.
On Wednesday, July 23, the account reposted several messages honoring Osbourne, including uploads from Billy Idol, Joe Manganiello and Billy Morrison.
“I’m having trouble processing this, and I’m sure I will for some time to come. We shared decades of friendship and laughter together and the man understood me and knew me like most never could. He always listened, even when you didn’t think he was,” Morrison, 56, wrote via Instagram on Tuesday, July 22. “And then he’d drop a pearl of wisdom or tell you a truth you hadn’t thought of.”
The statement continued, “I felt his love when I was with him, and when we were on opposite sides of the planet. And he made millions of people happy. Connected a whole world through his music. I wasn’t ready to say goodbye Ozzy, but I guess we never are.”
Morrison — who played guitar in Idol’s band — noted that his “thoughts and [his] love” are with Ozzy’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, and their kids, Jack, Kelly and Aimee. (Ozzy was also the father of Elliot, Louis and Jessica, whom he shared with ex-wife Thelma Riley.)
News broke on Tuesday that Ozzy died at age 76. “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,” his family shared in a statement to Us Weekly. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
One day before his death, Ozzy shared a behind-the-scenes photo from Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning show via Instagram. The image displayed the outside of his dressing room at Villa Park in England. A poster read, “The Final Show,” and featured a picture of Ozzy and Black Sabbath bandmates Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward.
Ozzy Osbourne Made Poignant Instagram Post the Day Before His Death
A cause of death has not yet been revealed for Ozzy, who revealed his battle with Parkinson’s disease in 2020.
“It’s been terribly challenging for us all,” he said on Good Morning America at the time. “I did my last show New Year’s Eve at The Forum. Then I had a bad fall. I had to have surgery on my neck, which screwed all my nerves.”
Two months before his death, Ozzy gave an update on his ongoing health struggles.
“You wake up the next morning and find that something else has gone wrong. You begin to think this is never going to end,” Ozzy said, adding that Sharon, 72, organized the final Black Sabbath show as a way to “give me a reason to get up in the morning.”
