Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has reflected on Ozzy Osbourne‘s funeral – see what he had to say below.
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The Black Sabbath frontman and heavy metal pioneer passed away last month (July 22) at the age of 76, just weeks after playing the band’s huge farewell show ‘Back To The Beginning’ in their hometown.
He was laid to rest in the grounds of his UK mansion during a private ceremony that was attended by Elton John, members of Metallica and more last week. Prior to that, his cortege travelled through Birmingham in a procession attended by thousands of fans, and was attended by his emotional family, including wife Sharon Osbourne, and children Jack, Kelly, and Aimee.
Speaking on SiriusXM‘s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk last week, Trujillo – who used to perform in Ozzy’s solo band – reflected on the touching ceremony: “It was a small group of people, but it was very, very beautiful. And in the end, the speeches were actually… I mean, it was very sad, but at the same time some of the speeches were – as you could imagine – pretty funny. And there were a lot of tears.”
According to Trujillo, the members of Black Sabbath ended their speech with Geezer Butler, who “broke down into tears. He had a hard time, obviously, speaking, and then he came back up and he delivered an amazing eulogy.”
Trujillo continued: “It had been raining at the beginning of the service, about an hour — I don’t know — longer than an hour before. And then as it sort of progressed through the service, the weather would change and different things would happen. When Kelly [Osbourne] was singing, her lyrics flew — the wind blew her lyrics away. It was almost like Ozzy was having fun with her. And then when Geezer spoke, actually spoke, the sun came out. I’m not kidding. The sun actually came out, and then it was beautiful from that moment on — a very magical moment.
“And again, it’s sad, but at the same time, people [were] sharing stories,” Robert added. “And all of a sudden, there was laughter, and ‘I remember this’, ‘I remember that’. There were so many stories. I mean, we’d be on the phone forever on this interview. So, it felt like there was a closure from this. And I’m glad that we went — my wife Chloe and I went — and shared that and were able to have that moment with the family and everything. So it was very beautiful. And again, heartfelt words from so many people and kind of reconnecting with different musicians and bandmates, crew members, all that.”
Metallica were also on hand at the Back To The Beginning show ahead of Osbourne’s death, where they performed covers of Black Sabbath’s ‘Hole In The Sky’ and ‘Johnny Blade’, as well as their own hits like ‘Creeping Death’, ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’, ‘Battery’ and ‘Master Of Puppets’.
Elsewhere, it’s been announced that a documentary about Osbourne is also on the way, which will share an “intimate glimpse” of his “last chapter”. Titled Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, it will feature contributions from his family and was filmed across his final three years. It will air on BBC One and iPlayer on August 18.
A biopic of Ozzy and Sharon’s lives is also in the works at Sony Pictures, with negotiations with a director ongoing. The project was first announced in 2021.
It has since been revealed that Ozzy’s death certificate lists the cause of death as a heart attack, while also mentioning that he was suffering from a coronary heart disease and Parkinson’s. It also listed his occupation as “Songwriter, Performer and Rock Legend”.
