My life would be completely different without Ozzy and Black Sabbath. As a young kid growing up in Southern California was the polar opposite of the music coming out of England. At 15 my mind was completely blown when I got tickets for Black Sabbath at the Long Beach Arena in 1975 almost 50 years ago. Sabbath was the heaviest thing anyone had ever heard and it scared our parents which made me love them more. Iron Man was a mainstream rock hit and you could play it on the guitar. Zeppelin was everyone’s band in those days but I chose Sabbath and Deep Purple as my bands. After seeing Bill Ward crush the drums with brute force I chose the hit hard like my hero Bill. Ozzy was the master of ceremonies guiding the audience through a mystic ritual where only your imagination brought you to dark castles in the Black Country of England. There was no internet or digital music. Just the visual of album covers of Black Sabbath , Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Paranoid. The experience was more simple yet more mind expanding. Taking you on a journey. I was so happy to see Bill behind the kit one last time and I know Ozzy wanted that. What a beautiful celebration of Ozzy’s life in Rock N Roll. Thank you Ozzy .. the music remains and you will always be a Legend and one of the greatest ever. RIP

We are now pausing our live coverage of tributes to Ozzy Osbourne. If you’re just joining us, here’s a recap:

Some Black Sabbath fans got commemorative tattoos after the band’s final show in Birmingham this month.

40,000 fans turned out at the venue in Birmingham which saw Ozzy singing with his fellow founding fathers of heavy metal while seated on a black throne.

“You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he told the crowd.

At his farewell concert earlier this month, Osbourne received a video message from celebrity friend Dolly Parton. The decorated country star celebrated the metal singer’s final show, saying “I love you”.

“Are we supposed to be seeing farewell to you? Well, I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Why don’t we just say good luck, god bless you and we will see you somewhere down the road,” she said.

She added that she’s going to miss him on stage, but “I wouldn’t be surprised if you don’t show up somewhere else — and I’ll be there”.

More condolences are coming in from musicians inspired by Ozzy Osbourne.

American rock band Aerosmith calls him “our brother in rock”, saying he “changed music forever”.

“From Black Sabbath to his solo work, Ozzy redefined what it meant to be heavy,” the band has written on X. “He did it all with heart, grit, and that wild spirit only he could bring.

“Our love goes out to Sharon, his family, his band, and the millions around the world who felt his fire.”

Sammy Hagar, the lead vocalist of Van Halen, has paid tribute to Osbourne on social media.

Hagar played at the farewell concert for Osbourne earlier this month.

Posting on Instagram, Hagar says Osbourne “was and will always be a one of a kind true rock legend.”

“For him to have been that close to death on July 5 and still get up there and perform like he promised… Wow! That puts him in a category of his own.”

“Talk about commitment and loyalty to your fans. Nobody’s going to out-do that ever!” he adds. “RIP my brother, you did it all.”