The late Ozzy Osbourne wanted his celebration of his life to be exactly that.
In 2011, the Black Sabbath singer was asked in a column called Dr. Ozzy, for London’s The Times, if planning your own funeral was morbid or a gift to your loved ones, like when Peter Sellers asked for a certain song to be played for him, because it took the pressure off of them to do it.
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Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne pictured with their kids Kelly and Jack in 2014
“I honestly don’t care what they play at my funeral; they can put on a medley of Justin Bieber, Susan Boyle and ‘We Are the Diddymen’ if it makes ’em happy — but I do want to make sure it’s a celebration, not a mope-fest,” the heavy metal rocker and reality star said. “I’d also like some pranks: maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin; or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of ‘death.’ There’ll be no harping on the bad times.”
Osbourne concluded that “a bit of planning is the right thing to do for the family you leave behind.”
He noted that he had been very fortunate in his life so far.
“It’s worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives. So by any measure, most of us in this country — especially rock stars like me — are very lucky,” he said. “That’s why I don’t want my funeral to be sad. I want it to be a time to say ‘thanks.'”
Osbourne died July 23, three weeks after playing what had been advertised as his final concert. The Back to the Beginning event, which was held at England’s Villa Park, was a 10-hour tribute featuring a lineup stacked with music stars. The man nicknamed the Prince of Darkness played both solo and alongside his former Black Sabbath band mates Tommy Iommi, Terrence “Geezer” Butler, and Bill Ward.
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The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer had stepped away from performing for most of the past decade, after having struggled with health issues including Parkinson’s disease and emphysema.
Since his death, tributes have come from celebrities including Jack Black, Adam Sandler, Marilyn Manson, and his former band.
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