It wasn’t a spectacle. It wasn’t meant to be. While thousands gathered in Birmingham the day before to sing, cry, and chant Ozzy’s name in the streets, the following day was something far quieter—yet perhaps more powerful.
On July 31st, in the peaceful countryside of Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, family and a circle of close friends came together to honor the Prince of Darkness not with sorrow, but with gratitude. As Ozzy once said himself, he didn’t want a funeral filled with mourning. “No harping on the bad times,” he told The Times back in 2011. “I want it to be a time to say ‘thanks’.”
And so, that’s exactly what it was.
The private ceremony took place in a sun-dappled garden on the grounds of a historic estate not far from Ozzy and Sharon’s home. No flashing cameras. No headlines. Just the quiet hum of conversation among rock royalty and close family, the air heavy with memory—and music.
Among those who gathered were the people who knew Ozzy not only as a rock god, but as a friend, a brother in arms, a flawed and beautiful soul. His Black Sabbath bandmates—Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler—were there, standing side by side one last time. James Hetfield of Metallica, who had often spoken of Ozzy as an inspiration and mentor, flew in to pay his respects. And Sir Elton John, whose deep friendship with Ozzy had spanned decades, sat quietly with Sharon before later taking to the piano.
The most unforgettable moment came in the final half hour.
There had been whispers among the small crowd. A quiet shifting of energy. Then, without fanfare or introduction, Sir Paul McCartney stepped forward. It hadn’t been in the press. It wasn’t on the program. But Paul had come—for Ozzy.
Because Ozzy, above all, was a Beatles fan. The Beatles were why he ever dreamed of being on stage. “It started with ‘She Loves You’,” he once said. “The Beatles saved my life.”