Depending on your perspective in the ’80s, Ozzy Osbourne was either a brazen boundary-pusher or evil incarnate. The “Prince of Darkness” shocked crowds with his antics both onstage and off, first as the frontman of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and then during his subsequent solo career. In the early aughts, audiences got a glimpse of a new side entirely: Ozzy as family man. From 2002 to 2005, fans faithfully tuned into MTV’s The Osbournes to witness the outrageous shenanigans of the “No More Tears” singer; his wife and manager, Sharon; and two of their children, Kelly and Jack. As the world continues to mourn Ozzy Osbourne two weeks after his July 22 passing, Jack Osbourne paid tribute to the man he was fortunate enough to call his father.
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Jack Osbourne Invokes Hunter S. Thompson in Tribute to His Father, Ozzy Osbourne
Taking to social media to honor his father, Ozzy Osbourne, Jack Osbourne quoted another beloved countercultural figure with a penchant for excess.
“Hunter S. Thompson once said: ‘Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body… but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!’” wrote the travel reporter, 39, on Instagram.
“That was my dad,” Jack added in the Aug. 5 post. “He lived and he lived his life fully. I love you dad.”
Sharing a slideshow of memories with his rockstar parent set to Ozzy’s 1983 song “So Tired,” Jack Osbourne admitted his reluctance to publicly acknowledge his loss.
[RELATED: Ozzy Osbourne’s Death Certificate Sheds Light on Final Moments]
“My heart has hurt too much,” he wrote. “I’m gonna keep this short because he certainly hated long rambling speeches. He was so many things to so many people, but I was so lucky and blessed to be apart of a very small group that got to call him ‘Dad.’”
However, amid all the “sadness and sorrow” is “so much love and gratitude,” Jack continued.
“I got 14,501 days with that man and I know that is such a blessing,” he wrote.
Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s manager and wife of 43 years, has remained largely out of the public eye since her husband’s death. However, she shared a poignant moment with the crowd during a July 30 funeral procession in his hometown of Birmingham, England.
Sharon Osbourne cries and makes sign to cheering crowd
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) July 30, 2025
Ozzy Osbourne’s family led tributes to the rock star at his funeral procession this afternoon pic.twitter.com/7iVd4tMtZj
Featured image by Mick Hutson/Redferns
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