Céline Dion has paid an emotional tribute to the late Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne, who she has labelled as a “true original”.
Osbourne’s death was confirmed by his family in a statement on July 22nd. It was later revealed that he passed away at the family home in Buckinghamshire, England, after coming back to the UK for his farewell concert earlier this month at Villa Park in Birmingham, which saw him perform with Black Sabbath for the last time.
Now, Dion has honoured Osbourne, showing that his influence spread far beyond the heavy metal realm that he helped create.
On Facebook, Dion wrote: “I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Ozzy Osbourne. Ozzy and I were label mates for many years— and although we came from very different musical universes, I always admired his boundless spirit and ear for melody on songs like ‘Mama I’m Coming Home.’ He was a true original! Fearless, and simply larger than life…but also kind, thoughtful, and generous.”
She continued: “My heart is with his beloved wife Sharon, their children, and his millions of adoring fans from around the world.”
Dion signed off the message by writing, “With all my love, – Celine xx…”
The Canadian singer is the latest star to honour Osbourne. In the immediate aftermath of his death, artists such as Coldplay and Lady Gaga paid tribute at their concerts. Meanwhile, Oasis dedicated ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’ to the Black Sabbath legend and unfurled an LED banner of him on-stage at Wembley Stadium while playing ‘Live Forever’.
Additionally, on July 25th, Johnny Depp made a special guest appearance with Alice Cooper at the O2 Arena in London to cover the Black Sabbath classic ‘Paranoid’ in tribute to Osbourne. Yungblud has also vowed to perform a cover of ‘Changes’ at every show he plays in the future to show his gratitude to Osbourne.
Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler has since reflected on the band’s farewell show, revealing that during rehearsals, “He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane – being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones.”
Butler also opened up about his shock at seeing Osbourne struggling with his health, stating, “I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was.”
