Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo has shared his reflections on iconic Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne’s funeral.
Last month the musician – whose real name was John Osbourne – died aged 76 following a long period of living with Parkinson’s and other health problems. His death certificate listed his cause of death as ‘acute myocardial infarction’ and ‘out of hospital cardiac arrest’.
Osbourne’s funeral was held the following week, with an emotional funeral procession through the streets of Birmingham where his widow, Sharon Osbourne, was seen sobbing alongside their children.
In a private service, Osbourne was buried on the grounds of his mansion and Trujillo has now said he believes the late rocker was ‘having fun’ during the funeral.
The Metallica bassist was among the attendees at his late friend’s private farewell service earlier this month and he reflected on the extreme weather changes throughout the day – including a sudden gust of wind that swept through as Kelly Osbourne sang for those gathered.
Trujillo, who was a longtime member of Osbourne’s backing band, told SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation: ‘It had been raining at the beginning of the service and then as it sort of progressed through the service, the weather would change and different things would happen.
‘When Kelly was singing, her lyrics flew. Like the wind blew her lyrics away. It was almost like Ozzy was having fun with her.’
Then when Osbourne’s Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler delivered his eulogy, the sun suddenly came out to shine on those paying their respects.
Robert said: ‘Geezer broke down in tears. He had a hard time, obviously, speaking. And then he came back up and he delivered an amazing eulogy.
‘The sun actually came out, and then it was beautiful from that moment on.’
The Enter Sandman hitmaker said there were many ‘very magical moments’ and a lot of laughter despite the sombre occasion.
He said: ‘It was a small group of people but it was very, very beautiful. It was very sad, but at the same time, some of the speeches were, as you could imagine, pretty funny.
‘People sharing stories and all of a sudden there’s laughter, and “I remember this, I remember that”. There’s so many stories. It felt like there was closure from this. I’m glad that we went…and we were able to have that moment with the family.’
The Crazy Train hitmaker had long said he wanted his funeral to be a ‘celebration’ and even feature some ‘pranks’.
Osbourne told The Times in 2011: ‘I do want to make sure it’s a celebration, not a mope-fest.
‘I’d also like some pranks; maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin; or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of death. There’ll be no harping on the bad times.’
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.
