Jack Osbourne opened up about the “shock” of his father Ozzy’s death during the latest episode of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!.
The TV personality, and youngest child of Ozzy and businesswoman Sharon Osbourne, is one of 10 contestants on the 25th series of the UK survival/reality TV show, which kicked off on November 16.
During the second episode, broadcast on Monday (November 17), he spoke about the impact of his father’s passing. While talking to actress Lisa Riley, best known for her work in soap opera Emmerdale, he says that Ozzy’s death stunned the family, despite how long the heavy metal legend was unwell for.
He also calls the Prince Of Darkness’ recent retirement show Back To The Beginning “the ultimate mic drop”.
“We knew he was sick for a while, but it was definitely a shock,” he remembers. “It was like… we didn’t think it’d be that quick. It was the ultimate mic drop: do a massive, big gig and then was like, ‘Alright, I’m done.’”
Jack jokes that Ozzy would have been mystified by the fact he’s taking part in I’m A Celebrity…, which is known for subjecting its contestants to such challenges as eating unusual things and being covered in insects.
“He’s looking at me, being like, ‘What the [fuck] are you doing?’” he laughs. “He’d be so supportive of this. The whole family was. They were like, ‘Absolutely, go do it.’”
In a piece to camera shortly afterwards, Jack admits that he’s still “navigating” the grief he feels for his father. “It’s been three, nearly four months, so it’s still pretty fresh,” he says.
Ozzy died at the age of 76 on July 22, after suffering a heart attack at his home in Buckinghamshire. 17 days beforehand, he’d headlined Back To The Beginning: an all-day swansong held at Villa Park football grounds in his hometown of Birmingham. He played two sets, one with his solo band and another with his fellow founding members of Black Sabbath, and was supported by a who’s who of rock and metal, including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Slayer and Anthrax.
Ozzy retired from touring in 2023, following years of health setbacks. In 2019, he fell at home and aggravated injuries he’d sustained in a quad bike accident more than a decade prior. He underwent multiple spinal surgeries in the ensuing years that forced him to repeatedly postpone dates on his farewell tour, No More Tours 2, before cancelling them outright. He also announced that he was living with Parkinson’s disease in 2020.
Last week, Jack joined Sharon and his sister Kelly on an extensive podcast, talking about Ozzy’s life and legacy. During the discussion, Jack spoke about the widespread mourning that came in the wake of his father’s death.
He said: “I’ve seen messages where people are like, ‘I never thought I would feel this way about someone I didn’t know dying.’ I think people are genuinely feeling this void and they’re just like, ‘Holy shit, this guy’s gone.’”
Elsewhere in the conversation, the family had strong words for former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters, who shortly after Ozzy’s death said, “I don’t care about Black Sabbath, I never did. I have no interest in biting the heads of chickens or whatever they do.”
Sharon responded by calling Waters “a sad, irrelevant, old, miserable human being – a miserable, ugly human being”.
I’m A Celebrity… continues tonight (November 18) on ITV1 and ITVX at 9pm UK.
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