The members of Black Sabbath and those who were a part of his solo career are paying emotional tributes to Ozzy Osbourne.
On Tuesday, a representative for the Osbourne family announced that the rock music icon had died at the age of 76.
Following the sad news, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler posted a photo of Ozzy sitting on a throne during his last-ever show at Villa Park in Birmingham, England ,earlier this month.
"Goodbye dear friend - thanks for all those years - we had some great fun, 4 kids from Aston - who'd have thought, eh?" he wrote in the caption.
"So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston. Love you."
Over 40,000 fans attended the final Black Sabbath gig, with the British star remaining seated for the duration of the four-song set.
In addition, drummer Bill Ward expressed his condolences to Ozzy's wife Sharon Osbourne and all family members.
"Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls, no, you're forever in my heart," the musician commented.
"RIP. Sincere regrets to all the fans. Never goodbye. Thank you forever."
And in his own message, guitarist Tony Iommi shared that he was "heartbroken" over his pal's passing.
"I just can't believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park," he posted. "It's just such heartbreaking news that I can't really find the words; there won't ever be another like him.”
“Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family. Rest in peace, Oz."
A number of members who played with Ozzy's solo band over the years have also paid tribute to the rock legend.
Zakk Wylde, Ozzy’s lead guitarist, said: “THANK YOU FOR BLESSING THE WORLD w/YOUR KINDNESS & GREATNESS OZ - YOU BROUGHT LIGHT INTO SO MANY LIVES & MADE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE - YOU LIVED w/THE HEART OF A LION - I THANK THE GOOD LORD EVERY DAY FOR BLESSING MY LIFE w/YOU IN IT.”
“Ozzy gave me my first break, thanks to Randy’s recommendation. I also might not exist without Ozzy Osbourne,” Rudy Sarzo shared.
Gus G wrote: “You changed my life forever, and I’ll never forget that. As a guitar player, it was the highest honour in my career to record an album and tour the world with you for 7 years.”
“I loved every second I spent with you since 1990. We sure laughed about a lot of things. I’ll never not miss you. Glad we got to make some noise together one last time,” Mike Inez spoke about playing with Ozzy last week.
“There are men, and there are great men…and then above them all, there’s @ozzyosbourne,” said Adam Wakeman.
Bob Dailey shared a heartfelt tribute.
Brad Gillis expressed: “With Ozzy, you could run through a gauntlet of emotions, but what I remember the most were our crazy, fun times!”
Jake E. Lee shared his final text with Ozzy.
Phil Sousan wrote: “Just sitting here late last night quietly, looking through photographs, and old magazine articles has been an emotional and nostalgic time. Images of my dear brother, Randy Castillo, RIP, and many others who sadly are no longer with us, now being joined by Ozzy, has been a tearjerker.”
Joe Holmes described Ozzy’s music as “a gift that will forever live on.”
Don Airey shared a cherished moment with the legend.
“Just a few months ago, and I had the honour of composing the orchestral score for what would become his final single - a full circle I never could have imagined,” said Fred Coury.
“We lost a legend, an icon - but Ozzy was more than that. He was a force. A one-of-one, and a giant.”
