The death of legendary rock star Ozzy Osbourne on Tuesday has brought to light again. An agreement between the late star and his wife, Sharon Osbourne, that they had made decades ago.
Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne died on Tuesday at the age of 76.
Ozzy Osbourne, founder of the band Black Sabbath and who also had a significant solo career, was last seen performing just a few weeks ago when he took the stage at a farewell concert on July 5 in Birmingham, England.
Osbourne, who had been suffering from Parkinson’s disease for years, sat in a leather chair on stage during the show. Just over 2 weeks later, the 76-year-old star passed away surrounded by his family and loved ones.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” a statement from the family read.
The sad news was signed by Ozzy’s wife Sharon Osbourne and his children Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.
Osbourne’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, said in her 2007 autobiography Survivor: My Story – The Next Chapter that she was very afraid of developing dementia like her father. Because of this, Sharon said that she had long ago made a deal with her husband Ozzy about euthanasia – or assisted death – if either of them developed dementia.
“If this disease is to be my fate, I don’t want to repeat history and go through what my father has gone through,” she wrote then. “I’ve discussed it with my family and we have a plan in place. My kids would take me to Switzerland where euthanasia is legal, and you can die with dignity.”
She later confirmed this to the British newspaper The Mirror,“Ozzy and I have absolutely come to the same decision. We believe 100 per cent in euthanasia so have drawn up plans to go to the assisted suicide flat in Switzerland if we ever have an illness that affects our brains. If Ozzy or I ever got Alzheimer’s, that’s it – we’d be off.”
“We gathered the kids around the kitchen table, told them our wishes and they’ve all agreed to go with it.
“I saw my father suffer from the day he came back into my life in 2002 to the day he died in July. There’s no way I could go through what he did, or put my kids through that,” she went on.
“At least with something like cancer you can communicate, say how you feel and explain why your body hurts.”
“But my father deteriorated at such a rapid speed he became a shell of himself – dribbling, wearing a diaper and tied into a wheelchair because he didn’t realise he could no longer walk.”
“Some say the disease is hereditary so at the first sign I want to be put out of my misery.”
“Ozzy and I have asked our lawyers to make the appropriate arrangements. It’s taken away some of the fear of our ending and is a final gift of love to our kids.”
Ozzy Osbourne first publicly revealed in 2019 that he had Parkinson’s disease, which limited his mobility and required multiple spinal surgeries. However, after the rock legend’s death on July 22, his family has not yet publicly announced the cause of death.
However, Ozzy’s deteriorating health has been in the headlines since the beginning of the year, which also brought into the headlines his wife Sharon’s previous talks about a euthanasia agreement. However, the couple’s daughter Kelly denied in the summer that her parents have a suicide pact.
“Stop making articles or posts about how you think my parents are having a suicide pact,” she said. “That was bulls–t my mom said to get attention one time. And my dad’s not dying. Stop,” she said according to E! News.
However, Sharon Osbourne herself spoke openly about the euthanasia agreement with her children in 2023 on the family’s own The Osbournes Podcast.
– Do you think we’re going to suffer instead? Mental suffering is enough pain without physical pain. If you suffer pain with your mind and body, then it’s goodbye, Sharon Osbourne said at the time.
Kelly’s daughter tried to question her mother’s attitude at that time, asking her what if she still had a chance to survive despite her possible illness?
Yeah, what if you survive and you can’t wipe your own butt, you pee everywhere, you poop, and you can’t eat, Sharon choked on her child’s words.
Ozzy Osbourne also spoke out about his possible decision regarding euthanasia in 2014, should he face a “life-threatening condition.”
In a 2014 conversation with the Daily Mirror, Ozzy addressed the subject of physician-assisted suicide explaining that it now included any “life-threatening condition.”
“If I can’t live my life the way I’m living it now — and I don’t mean financially — then that’s it…[Switzerland],” he told the publication. “If I can’t get up and go to the bathroom myself and I’ve got tubes up my ass and an enema in my throat, then I’ve said to Sharon, ‘Just turn the machine off.’ If I had a stroke and was paralyzed, I don’t want to be here. I’ve made a will and it’s all going to Sharon if I die before her, so ultimately it will all go to the kids.”