Kelly Osbourne has paid a deeply personal tribute to her father, calling Ozzy “the best friend I ever had” following his death earlier this week.
The legendary Black Sabbath frontman died on Tuesday, July 22, aged 76, just weeks after his final live performance at the Back To The Beginning show in Birmingham. The concert brought Ozzy back to the stage one last time, reuniting Sabbath’s original lineup for an emotional farewell in their hometown.
In the wake of his passing, Kelly shared a short but heartbreaking message via Instagram Stories. “I feel unhappy, I am so sad. I lost the best friend I ever had,” she wrote, alongside a broken heart emoji. The words echo the opening line of Changes, the 1972 Sabbath ballad that she and Ozzy re-recorded together in 2003, a duet that went to Number One in the UK.
The father-daughter pair became beloved public figures in the early 2000s thanks to The Osbournes, the chaotic but strangely wholesome MTV reality show that followed their lives at home. Their bond, often filled with laughter, sarcasm and the odd shout across the living room, was unmistakable.
Earlier this month, Kelly shared more memories from Ozzy’s final concert. “To say that yesterday was magic was an understatement,” she posted on Instagram after the show. “I can’t even write this without tears streaming down my face. Thank you to everyone who came to support my dad.”
She also took a moment to thank the fans directly. “Thank you to the fans who without we are nothing. My dad got his moment in the sun. He was able to say thank you and goodbye in the most beautiful way.”
The concert was a real personal milestone. Kelly got engaged to her partner, Slipknot’s Sid Wilson, backstage at the event. In classic Ozzy fashion, he reportedly shouted, “Fuck off! You’re not marrying my daughter,” before offering his approval.
In recent months, Ozzy had also been appearing on The Osbournes Podcast alongside Kelly, Jack and Sharon, reflecting on the family’s wild past and even laughing at old clips from their MTV days. The warmth and humour of those conversations now carry even more weight.
Since Ozzy’s death, tributes have poured in from across the music world. His Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward have all spoken publicly, as have artists like Elton John, Coldplay, Yungblud and Jack White. On social media, fans have shared everything from heartfelt messages to classic clips of Ozzy swearing at the TV or struggling with a remote control. Moments that defined his status as a rock icon and unlikely reality TV star.
For Kelly, the loss is clearly still raw. Her words were simple but devastating. And in echoing Changes, the song that defined their relationship for so many fans, she reminded the world that behind the Prince of Darkness was a dad, and really her best mate.
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