Jack Osbourne reflects on late dad Ozzy's final days: 'None of us expected it to be like this'
Jack Osbourne is opening up about the loss of his father, rock icon Ozzy Osbourne, who died on July 22.
In an interview with "Good Morning America" which aired on Monday, Jack Osbourne reflected on the overwhelming love and support his family has received and on the moments leading up to his father's death.
"None of us expected it to be like this, with that outpour of love," Jack Osbourne told ABC News' Chris Connelly.
When asked how his mother, Sharon Osbourne, has been coping, Jack Osbourne said it's been a mix of strength and heartbreak.
"You know, when people have been asking me that question, I say, 'She's OK, but she's not OK,'" he explained. "I know she feels the love… every child sits there and kind of has this thought about one day that parents won't be there, and what will that be like. It's just a part of being human. We just didn't think of it. It was a different weight to it, you know?"
Ozzy Osbourne's death came just 48 hours after completing his memoir, "Last Rites," which chronicles his decades in music and his often turbulent life.
During the interview, Connelly quoted a line from the book, which read, "If I'd been clean and sober, I wouldn't be Ozzy. If I had done normal, sensible things, I wouldn't be Ozzy."
Jack Osbourne acknowledged the truth in those words.
"There's definitely some truth to that," he said with a laugh. "But here's the thing, he was clean and sober at the end. And he was still Ozzy."
Reading the final chapter of his father's book, Jack added, was especially emotional.
"I think the last chapter's the hardest," he said. "He was happy. He was in such a good mood."Ozzy Osbourne's final years were marked by health struggles, including seven surgeries in five years following a 2019 neck injury. Yet even through pain, he found joy in music.
Just 17 days before his death, Ozzy Osbourne performed one last time at a farewell benefit concert titled "Back to the Beginning" in his hometown of Birmingham, England.
Seated on a throne, he sang his hits, including "Crazy Train" and reunited with Black Sabbath for a four-song finale.
"Before he went onstage, I ran back into the dressing room and I just gave him a big hug. I just kissed him," Jack Osbourne recalled, holding back tears. "I just said, 'Crush it. You're gonna do so good.'"
From the crowd, Jack Osbourne said he and his brother watched with pride and emotion.
"We both were just crying, it wasn't because of feeling sorry for him. It wasn't because we were sad for him. I think it was because we knew it was the last time," he explained. "In hindsight, it kind of was a living wake, you know, if you think about it. He got to say goodbye to everyone."
When asked how he wants the world to remember his father, Jack Osbourne replied, "Oh, man. That's a tough one. Someone who loved his job and his family,"
After a long pause, he added, "And with a great sense of humor."
