Ozzy Osbourne felt like Keith Richards: 'Too tough to die'

New York Post

5 days ago

Despite Ozzy Osbourne's health woes, no one was ready for the rock god's life to end at 76.
The Black Sabbath frontman passed away on Tuesday, July 22, 'surrounded by love,' his family revealed in a statement.
No additional details about his death were revealed, but Ozzy had been battling Parkinson's disease since at least January 2020, and he appeared feeble in public as his health declined.
20 The Black Sabbath frontman died at 76 on Tuesday, July 22.
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Cameron Glendenning, who worked with the Osbourne family for decades — first on their early 2000s hit reality show, 'The Osbournes,' and again in 2020 for 'Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne' — exclusively told The Post that he couldn't have been ready for the Prince of Darkness' death.
'I definitely didn't prep for it,' he said in a phone interview hours after Ozzy's passing was announced.
Glendenning started his career in Hollywood when he joined 'The Osbournes' at the end of its first season in 2002 until the show wrapped in 2005 as a camera operator and technical supervisor. He then teamed up with the heavy metal singer as the director of photography for Ozzy's 2020 'Nine Lives' documentary.
'I kind of thought he was going to be like a Keith Richards, man. I just thought nothing was going to kill him. You know, like, [he's] too tough to die,' Glendenning shared with The Post.
While the award-winning cinematographer acknowledged that the 'No More Tears' rocker 'lived a hard life for a long time,' he was still 'surprised' to hear the news.
20 Ozzy Osbourne revealed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis in 2020.
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20 The Godfather of Heavy Metal left behind his wife of over 40 years, Sharon, and several children.
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'I felt like he really was one of those few people who was just such an absolute legend that you just, I don't know, maybe he was immortal, you know? I mean, he is,' Glendenning said.
Like Ozzy, The Rolling Stones' lead guitarist struggled with drug and alcohol abuse for decades during his fame.
Richards is now 81, just five years older than the late Black Sabbath legend.
20 Cameron Glendenning, who worked with the Osbournes over a two-decade span, told The Post that he thought Ozzy was 'immortal.'
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20 'I kind of thought he was going to be like a Keith Richards, man. I just thought nothing was going to kill him.'
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This isn't the first time that someone has compared the two rock stars, either.
'I've always said that at the end of the world there will be roaches, Ozzy and Keith Richards,' Sharon said in 2010 after scientists discovered her husband had a 'genetic mutant' with a unique ability to absorb recreational drugs.
'He's going to outlive us all. That fascinated me — how his body can endure so much,' she shared at the time.
20 Sharon Osbourne also compared Ozzy to Keith Richards before.
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20 'I've always said that at the end of the world there will be roaches, Ozzy and Keith Richards,' Ozzy's wife said in 2010.
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To Glendenning, Ozzy was more than a colleague and heavy metal superstar. He made everyone feel seen and heard, despite their status.
'He was such a working class kid and he was so down to earth and he remained that way forever, even like attaining the status that he grew to have, he was always that same person,' he told The Post.
'He never made you feel anything less than like an equal. And you know, I was 25 years old, I think, when I first started working with him. I was a kid, man, and I was looking at a guy that had been a legend for 40 years already at that point,' Glendenning continued.
20 Cameron Glendenning spoke highly about his time with Ozzy and his family on 'The Osbournes,' from 2002 to 2005.
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20 Right from left: Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, Jack Osbourne and Ozzy Osbourne in 2004.
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20 Glendenning also addressed his time as the cinematographer for Ozzy's 2020 documentary.
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'He wanted to have fun. It could have been me or it could have been the president of Sony Records. It didn't matter,' he recalled. 'That's what was so cool about Ozzy. He was just totally down to earth.'
Glendenning admitted that the last time he spoke to Ozzy was in January 2020 on the final day of filming 'The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne' — but he doesn't take any time with the Osbournes for granted.
'It's very special. I'll cherish it forever. I will cherish every experience I have with him and that whole family. They're all wonderful people and I'm just grateful to know them,' he said.
20 'The Osbournes' ran on MTV for four seasons with Sharon, Ozzy, Kelly and Jack. Their third child, Aimee, did not want to participate.
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20 The rocker in 'The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne.'
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20 Ozzy married Sharon in 1982, the same year he divorced his first wife.
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The Hollywood cinematographer also recalled the fun moments he had with Ozzy when the cameras weren't rolling.
He shared one gag, in particular, that the Godfather of Heavy Metal loved to play on pesky fans who insisted on showing up at the family's Beverly Hills, Calif., residence at all hours of the night during their time on reality TV.
'Ozzy had this like water sprinkler system. I wouldn't call it a water cannon, but it was like a water jet, and he had it plumbed right next to the buzzer for the front gate,' Glendenning explained. 'We had like a trigger for it, and we could see when these people would come up, too.'
20 Black Sabbath (left to right): Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne.
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20 Ozzy Osbourne suffered several health issues in his later years, including being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.
Biography
'They would come up at, you know, midnight, one o'clock in the morning, and they would just ring the bell like, 'Hey, can we come in and say hello?'' he added, noting that Ozzy would often hang out with the crew in the garage when he was bored at night.
'He'd come in there and he would be like, 'Oh yeah, let's get him! Let's go get him!'' Glendenning recalled of his fun times with the singer.
Glendenning also told The Post that he's been in contact with his former colleagues about Ozzy's death.
20 Like Keith Richards, Ozzy Osbourne struggled with substance abuse.
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20 He also faced several controversies throughout his lifetime, including biting a bat's head in 1982.
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'We're all definitely mourning him,' he said of 'The Osbournes' and 'Nine Lives' crew members.
'I'm definitely mourning, but I definitely have a huge feeling of gratitude just for being a part of that crazy time and place, and just being around a person like Ozzy was just so incredibly rewarding to me, especially [in] my earlier life. I can't even describe how f–king surreal it all was,' he stated.
Ozzy leaves behind his wife of 43 years, Sharon, and their three kids: daughters Aimee, 41, and Kelly, 40, and son Jack, 39.
20 The musician was also a grandfather to 10 grandkids.
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The rocker was also a father to daughter Jessica, 45, and son Louis, 50, whom he welcomed with his first wife, Thelma Riley, and another son Elliot, 59, from Riley's previous relationship that he later adopted.
Ozzy married Riley in 1971. After 11 years of marriage, they divorced in 1982, the same year he married Sharon.
During their 40-plus-year union, Ozzy and Sharon had their fair share of ups and downs — which included the rocker being arrested for attempting to kill her while under the influence in 1989.
20 Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne faced their share of problems during their 43-year marriage.
Biography
'It was probably the most frightened I've ever been,' Sharon admitted about the incident.
Despite his scary attempt, she decided to stay with Ozzy and remained by his side through several health issues that included his Parkinson's diagnosis, three operations, stem cell treatments and Hybrid Assistive Limb treatment in the years leading up to his death.
The 'No More Tears' singer's final days were filled with family and doing what he loved.
20 The rocker watched his youngest daughter, Kelly, 40, get engaged weeks before his death.
Instagram/@kellyosbourne
A wheelchair-bound Ozzy performed his last show with Black Sabbath at Villa Park Stadium in Birmingham, England, on July 5.
Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, Gojira, Alice in Chains, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Anthrax, Mastodon and Rival Sons also performed, with Sharon revealing she disinvited one band.
Ozzy and Sharon's youngest daughter, Kelly, also got engaged the same day as the farewell concert, and both were there to watch the emotional proposal when her fiancé, Sid Wilson, popped the question.
The late metal rocker was a grandfather to 10 children, including Kelly and Sid's son Sidney, 2, and Jack's four kids with his ex-wife: Pearl, 13, Andy, 10, Minnie, 7, and Maple, 3.