Jack Osbourne Reveals How He Found Out Dad Ozzy Osbourne Died: ‘I Just Knew Something Bad Had Happened’

Losing a parent is one of the hardest things most people will go through in their lives. But when that person is also one of the most beloved rock stars of all time, someone you’ve had to share with the world your whole life even as you made your own private, cherished memories with them, is infinitely harder.

That’s why Jack Osbourne explained in a new 16-minute YouTube video that he’s had to take some time out of the spotlight to process his grief over the loss of his father, Ozzy Osbourne. “It’s been about six weeks since my father passed. I know a lot of my listeners and a lot of people were waiting for me to release a podcast, do something and I haven’t really known what to do,” said Jack, 39, about his struggle to wrap his head around losing Ozzy, who died on July 22 at age 76.

Osbourne, a married father of four who said his priority was to take care of his family, described going back to Los Angeles a week after attending what would be his dad’s final live performance at the all-star Back to the Beginning show in Ozzy’s native Birmingham, U.K. on July 5. Scheduled to go on a family trip to Portugal two days after the gig, Jack said that outing was scotched when his kids got a nasty stomach bug, which gave them time to hang out for a bit at the family home in England during what would turn out to be his dad’s final weeks.

“It was awesome. It was sunny. My dad was in an amazing mood, he was really happy every day,” Jack said of Ozzy in the days after the triumphant show where he performed while seated on a bat-covered throne. “It was great. It was a lot of fun and I kind of look back on that now and I’m so grateful,” Jack said of the special time. “I’ve never been so grateful for my kids to have the stomach flu.”

Jack said Ozzy was “great” when he left him on July 13, then described waking up in his L.A. home to a knock on his door at 3:45 a.m. by someone who has worked with the family for more than three decades. “When I looked through my window and I saw it was him, I just knew something bad had happened. I was informed that my father had passed,” Jack recalled, describing feeling sad, frustrated and angry before reaching a place where he was thankful that “‘he’s [Ozzy] not suffering anymore, he’s not struggling,’ and that’s something.”

Appearing to hold back tears, Jack added, “I wish he was still here. I wish he was still with us all, but he was having a rough go and I think people saw that at the show.” Ozzy was determined to perform a solo set and a reunion set with his original Black Sabbath mates at the show, despite not being able to stand up due to a variety of health issues. The rock icon did more than manage, delivering the kind of emotional, powerful final bow that few artists get to have when they know that their curtain call is fast approaching.

“He got to say goodbye in such a profound way. He got to thank his fans. He got to see his friends he hadn’t seen in such a long time,” Jack said of Ozzy’s last performance, which was surrounded by tribute sets from his musical progeny, including Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Mastodon, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Alice in Chains and many more.

“No one expected it to happen as quickly as it did and when it did, it was not anything that was on our radar,” Jack said of Ozzy’s death two weeks after the show. Inundated with texts and calls from friends, Jack described the outpouring of love he received, which he called “validating,” tearing up as he called Ozzy “a special guy… [who] meant a lot to a lot of people.”

Though he prefers to keep the details of the funeral private for now, Jack shared a quote he recited at Ozzy’s private family funeral from, of all people, actor and sometimes rocker Keanu Reeves. The bit of wisdom came from a 2019 Late Show show interview during which Stephen Colbert asked Reeves what he thinks happens when we die. “‘I don’t know what happens when you die, but what I do know is that the people that love you miss you the most,’” Reeves said.

“I felt that… immensely,” Jack said through tears. “He wasn’t just a father to me. He was my colleague, we worked together in so many capacities,” he added, recalling being housemates with his dad when he moved back into the Osbourne estate with is own family in his late 30s for a bit. “A friend, a text buddy, a joke cracker… I was so lucky. I had such a great relationship with him and I’m so grateful.”

In a bright note from Jack, he said “there was so much accomplished” before Ozzy’s death, projects he said the family will discuss when the time is right. Though hampered by the effects of Parkinson’s disease and the aftermath of a number of spine and neck surgeries, Osbourne was very busy in his final year working on a number of now-posthumous projects. First up will be the rocker’s second memoir, Last Rites, due out on Oct. 7, followed by the Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now doc chronicling the singer’s six-year struggle to recuperate from a devastating 2019 fall — due out on Paramount+ later this year. In addition, the 100-minute concert film, Back to the Beginning: Ozzy’s Final Bow, is slated to hit movie theaters in early 2026.

“The price we pay for loving someone so much is grief,” Jack said. “And the pain of grief when they’re gone. I’m okay with that… My father’s legacy will continue… Ozzy Osbourne does not end because he passed away on July 22nd. He’s exploding through the universe and we’re all seeing it.”

Watch Jack discuss his father’s passing below.