Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has shared his experience at Ozzy Osbourne's funeral, stating that the service was “very, very beautiful.”
Ozzy Osbourne's private service was held at his family home in Buckinghamshire, England, on July 31 and was attended by a host of collaborators and admirers, including his Black Sabbath bandmates, Zakk Wylde, Rob Zombie, and Slipknot’s Corey Taylor.
“It was a small group of people, but it was very, very beautiful,” Trujillo comments on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk.
“I mean, it was very sad, but at the same time, some of the speeches were, as you could imagine, pretty funny. And there were a lot of tears.
“[The members of] Sabbath kind of ended with their speech, especially with Geezer [Butler]. Geezer broke down into tears. He had a hard time, obviously, speaking, and then he came back up and he delivered an amazing eulogy.”
He continues, “When Kelly [Osbourne] was singing, her lyrics flew – the wind blew her lyrics away. It was almost like Ozzy was having fun with her. And then when Geezer spoke, actually spoke, the sun came out. I'm not kidding. The sun actually came out, and then it was beautiful from that moment on – a very magical moment.”
Trujillo asserts that, while it was sad, there was a sense of camaraderie as people shared their own tales and encounters with Ozzy.
“People [were] sharing stories. And all of a sudden, there was laughter, and ‘I remember this,’ ‘I remember that.’ There were so many stories. So, it felt like there was a closure from this.”
The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans flocked to Prince of Darkness' hometown of Birmingham to bid farewell – with Sharon, as well as their children, Aimée, Kelly, and Jack, joining the mourners to pay tribute.
A week after the heavy metal pioneer was laid to rest, his official cause of death was disclosed via The New York Times. The death certificate states that Ozzy died of “(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes).”
Ozzy passed away at the age of 76 mere weeks after returning to the stage for his Back to the Beginning farewell show. His death prompted an outpouring of tributes from across the music world.
In exclusive interviews with Guitar World, Jake E. Lee, Geezer Butler, Zakk Wylde, and Rudy Sarzo shared their own memories of Ozzy and reflected on their final moments with the legend.
