I am not really sure what to say here. Obviously I didn't know Ozzy personally, but I kind of felt like I did. His music has been extremely important to me for over 30 years and I generally followed a lot of the things he did. I discovered Ozzy fairly early in my journey into metal, purchasing the Nativity in Black tribute album (the first one) as one of the first albums I bought when I ran out of Metallica albums to get. Ozzy provided vocals on one of the songs and I was struck by his voice immediately. What followed for several years was me getting either his solo albums or the Black Sabbath albums that he fronted. He became something of a hero to me, a legendary figure in the metal genre. He is arguably the most important figure in metal of all time, maybe not the most talented, nor the most creative, but he was a massive star. Even though the quality of his music waned over time, I still generally bought everything he put out, because his voice was still incredibly powerful. I did finally get to see him live when Black Sabbath went on a farewell tour in 2016. He was still a very active presence at the front of the stage and still sounded incredible live. It was one of the better live performances I have seen. I was hoping to see him on tour for his solo project a few years later, but he ended up canceling that tour for health reasons. It was then that I kind of came to grips with the fact that he was nearing the end, an almost unthinkable event for the previous 20 years. He lived an extremely hard life, he seemed indestructible, yet here we were. A few weeks ago he appeared live for the final time. He looked frail and sat at a throne throughout the performance, but he still sounded powerful. It was an emotional performance and it truly felt like goodbye. Apparently, it was. The metal world has lost a truly amazing individual and one of its godfathers. Ozzy's music and his legacy will live on in eternity. He will be truly missed.
From "A National Acrobat" (still one of my favorite Black Sabbath tracks and the one I listened to last night before bed):
Well I know it's hard for you to know the reason whyAnd I know you'll understand more when it's time to die
Don't believe the life you have will be your only one
You have to let your body sleep to let your soul live on
Love has given life to you and now it's your concern
Unseen eye of inner life will make your soul return
Still I look but not to touch the seeds of life are sown
Curtain of the future falls, the secret stays unknown
Just remember love is life and hate is living death
Treat your life for what it's worth and live for every breath
Looking back I've lived and learned but now I'm wondering
Here I wait and only guess what this next life will bring