A week after heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne was laid to rest, the singer’s son Jack Osbourne has shared the grief, heartache and beautiful memories he’ll keep of his famous father in a touching Instagram post.
“I haven’t really wanted to post anything since the passing of my father. My heart has hurt too much. I’m gonna keep this short because he certainly hated long rambling speeches,” wrote Jack, 39, one of three children Ozzy shared with wife/manager Sharon Osbourne. “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.’”
Jack’s message was posted alongside a sweet video montage of moments with Ozzy from throughout his life, from a childhood visit with pops to the Howard Stern show in 1997 in which he tells the shock jock that having Osbourne as a dad is “very cool,” to shoulder rides, reality show shenanigans and adventures on the road as an adult. The images were cued to Ozzy’s sentimental Beatles-esque ballad “So Tired” from 1983’s Bark at the Moon solo album.
“Time has come to say goodbye/ I know it’s gonna make you cry/ But you belong to another, my love/And half a love that just ain’t enough/ I am so tired (so tired)/ And I just can’t wait around for you,” Ozzy sings over weepy strings on the tune. Osbourne died at 76 on July 22 from cardiac arrest and coronary artery disease that contribute to a heart attack.
“My heart is full of so much sadness and sorrow, but also so much love and gratitude. I got 14,501 days with that man and I know that is such a blessing,” Jack wrote before offering up a famous quote from late gonzo writer and hell-raiser Hunter S. Thompson from his book The Proud Highway: The Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967 about living big and leaving behind a well-worn corpse: “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!’”
The clip ends with a series of photos of Ozzy smiling with his children and laughing and pulling faces with his grandchildren, as well as archival footage of him teaching a young Jack how to properly bow and say goodnight to an audience after a show. In addition to pics of Jack and his brood at Osbourne’s final show, the July 5 all-star Back to the Beginning gig in the rocker’s home town of Birmingham, England, Jack included the NSFW flower arrangement that was set up on Ozzy’s estate for his private funeral last week that read: Ozzy F–king Osbourne.
“That was my dad. He lived and he lived his life fully,” Jack wrote. “I love you dad.” Jack’s tribute cam just days after his sister, Kelly Osbourne, thanked fans for holding her up during this hard time. “I’ve sat down to write this a hundred times and still don’t know if the words will ever feel like enough … but from the bottom of my heart, thank you,” Kelly wrote. “The love, support and beautiful messages I’ve received from so many of you have truly helped carry me through the hardest moment of my life. Every kind word, every shared memory, every bit of compassion has meant more than I can ever explain… I will not be OK for a while — but knowing my family are not alone in our pain makes a difference. I’m holding on tight to the love, the light and the legacy left behind.”
Watch Jack’s video here.
