Heavy metal pioneer and Black Sabbath founding member Ozzy Osbourne always walked closely with death, whether in the lyrics he wrote or through the tragedies he experienced over his decades-long career or the reckless, destructive way he lived his life in the most severe stages of addiction. For so many fans all around the world, this close connection with mortality and the afterlife was simply part of Osbourne’s title as the Prince of Darkness.
On July 22, 2025, countless Ozzy fans faced the grim reminder that no one gets out alive—a fact that was certainly not lost on Osbourne, who contemplated the afterlife and what his funeral might look like almost two decades before his death in a 2005 Playboy interview.
The “After Forever” Singer Contemplates What The Afterlife Looks Like
Despite what the distorted guitars and powerful drums might have suggested upon first listen, Ozzy Osbourne’s lyrics were often highly optimistic, faith-based, and advocating for love, empathy, and anti-violence.
In the 1971 track “After Forever” from Master of Reality, the singer plainly lays out his musings on life after death. Have you ever thought about your soul? Can it be saved? Or perhaps you think what when you’re dead you just stay in your grave? Is God just a thought within your head or is he part of you? Is Christ just a name that you read in a book when you were in school?
Over 30 years after recording this classic Black Sabbath cut, Osbourne spoke bluntly about his thoughts on what “after forever” might look like in a 2005 Playboy interview. When asked if he believed in heaven or hell, he replied, “I don’t know. Nobody’s ever come back and said, ‘Hey, it’s pretty cool up there,’ or, ‘You know, it’s f***ing hotter than f***ing s*** down there. You’ve got to shovel coal.’ I don’t think I believe in that stuff. It’s for people with morals.”
“People have asked me, ‘Did you see the light?’” Osbourne continued, referencing his nearly fatal ATV accident, which left him in a coma for over a week. “I saw a light. But I think it was just my coming out of my coma. I believe there’s a higher power. I believe in a power greater than myself that’s f***ing way more powerful than me—the ocean, the world, the universe.”
What Did Ozzy Osbourne Want His Funeral To Look Like?
To imagine Ozzy Osbourne’s funeral as an event of the century would not be an unreasonable assumption, given the fact that the Black Sabbath founder built his entire career on the gothic, grim, and macabre. But speaking to Playboy in the early 2000s, the rock icon shot down images of a sea of black-clad mourners, forked crosses, and doomy pipe organs.
“When I go, I don’t want there to be morbid f***ing crying people,” Osbourne said. “I want people to celebrate my life. Get me in the ground as soon as you can. You can cry all you want. But I ain’t coming back. I don’t think there are any f***ing return tickets.”
And unfortunately, he was right. Osbourne died on July 22, 2025. Although an official cause of death is not public at the time of this writing, most reports link the death to complications from Parkinson’s disease, a diagnosis he received 22 years earlier.
The death, no matter how predictable, given his fragile health, was a massive blow to Ozzy fans everywhere—this writer included. While there will never be another rock legend quite like him, there is some solace to be had in knowing that, wherever he is, he’s finally able to see the view from beyond the grave that he spent so much of his life singing about.
Photo by Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images
