Ozzy Osbourne dec lared he would "die a happy man" if he "dropped down dead" away after a farewell gig

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine in 2023, Ozzy predicted: "I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say: 'Hi guys, thanks so much for my life'.

"That's what I'm working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I'll die a happy man."

Ozzy's interview with Rolling Stone came before he had finalised plans for the Back to the Beginning show, which reunited him with his Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for one final show before stepping away from performing for good.

The veteran rocker suffered a number of health setbacks over the years including spinal issues relating to a quad bike crash in 2003 and injuries from a subsequent fall, infections and a Parkinson's disease diagnosis.

He also previously revealed his wife Sharon came up with the idea for the Black Sabbath reunion gig as a way of cheering him up after his health issues started to get him down. He told the Guardian newspaper: "You wake up the next morning and find that something else has gone wrong. You begin to think this is never going to end.

"Sharon could see that I was in Doom Town, and she says to me: 'I've got an idea.' It was something to give me a reason to get up in the morning.' "I thought: 'Oh, f****** hell, she's got an idea. Here we go."

News of his death was confirmed by his family on Tuesday in a statement which read: "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. He was with his family and surrounded by love. "We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis."