For Ozzy Osbourne, it would prove to be the ‘perfect end to a perfect show.’
Fans across the world are in mourning following the legendary rocker’s death, aged 76, in Birmingham on July 22, just weeks after his farewell performance with Black Sabbath at the city’s Villa Park stadium.
And it was here, at the home of his beloved Aston Villa, that Osbourne saw daughter Kelly accept a surprise marriage proposal from boyfriend Sid Wilson.
The Slipknot musician got down on bended knee as family and friends -among them Osbourne, his wife Sharon and son Jack – relaxed backstage after Sabbath had signed off in front of 40,000 fans.
But while Osbourne was already aware that a proposal was forthcoming, he had no idea that Wilson – who raiss son Sidney with Kelly – would do it at Villa Park.
Speaking to TMZ after Kelly confirmed the engagement on social media, Sharon admitted her husband had been ‘floored’ by the timing of his romantic gesture – describing it as the ‘perfect end’ to his farewell gig.
She admitted that Wilson had already given her advance warning of the proposal, after personally asked the rocker for permission to marry his daughter months earlier.
But the plan to propose at Villa Park was intentionally withheld from Osbourne, because Wilson wanted to surprise him following the show.
A video of the moment opens with Sharon telling the crowded backstage area: ‘You’ve got to be quiet!’
Wilson is seen standing in front of Kelly’s parents as he prepares to get down on bended knee, before his future father-in-law quips: ‘F**k off, you’re not marrying my daughter are you?’
Offering Kelly a custom made Mouawad engagement ring, he says: ‘Kelly you know I love you more than anything. Nothing would make me happier than to spend the rest of my life with you.
‘So in front of your family and all of our friends, Kelly will you marry me?’
The Black Sabbath frontman performed from a throne on stage at Villa Park in Birmingham less than three weeks ago.
In a statement confirming Osbourne’s death, his family said on Tuesday night: ‘It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.
‘He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.’
The rocker was able to bid an emotional farewell to his fans on stage this month as he reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time since 2005.
‘You’ve no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart,’ Osbourne told the crowd in his final speech.
The music legend vowed, however, that it would be his final ever performance due to his health, having opened up about his battle with Parkinson’s in 2020.
The star was a titan of music who somehow survived controversies that would end the careers of many others, and weathered health problems that would leave most of us on our backs.
Whether it was biting the head off both a bat and a dove, snorting a line of ants or urinating on a US war memorial while wearing one of his wife Sharon’s dresses, Osbourne was defined by his antics both on and off stage.
The singer, who sold more than 100 million records, will forever be synonymous with the heavy metal band he formed in his home city of Birmingham in 1969.
With hits that included Iron Man, War Pigs and Paranoid, Black Sabbath’s pushing of occult themes proved both hugely popular and controversial, with a future pope even condemning Osbourne for his ‘subliminal satanic influence’.
