Ozzy Osbourne managed to fulfil him and Sharon's poignant final wish before his death

The untimely death of Ozzy Osbourne came as a shock, "unexpected to be this soon", yet he managed to fulfil a final wish with his wife Sharon, a close friend revealed.

Despite battling deteriorating health, the Black Sabbath icon achieved his and Sharon's dream of relocating from the US back to the tranquillity of rural Buckinghamshire, a desire they had cherished for some time. Ozzy and Sharon, who tied the knot in 1982, spent Ozzy's final two years in their Home County mansion, as was disclosed last night.

The revered musician passed away at the age of 76 on Tuesday in his Buckinghamshire home, after living with Parkinson's disease since his diagnosis in 2019. Throughout his struggle, Ozzy made significant contributions to Parkinson's research by fundraising and raising awareness.

"Ozzy was always meant to come back to Britain to live in Buckinghamshire, it was where Sharon had spent so long preparing their family home for him," shared a family friend last night.

The hope was that Ozzy would have more time, but there were concerns at one point that they wouldn't manage to bring him back from Los Angeles for the concert earlier this month, reports the Mirror.

"Kelly has been at the house a lot in the last week or so, so has Aimee. It is terribly sad for all of them, they really hoped he would be able to carry on for a bit longer. But it's so lovely that he had his children around him during his last days."

The rock icon passed away, surrounded by his wife Sharon and their children, after a decline in health at their Buckinghamshire home on Tuesday. The family released a statement saying: "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. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis."

Ozzy's final performance with Black Sabbath took place in his hometown of Birmingham, where he wowed tens of thousands at Villa Park earlier this month. He had returned to the UK approximately two years ago, spending time recuperating at the Buckinghamshire residence with his wife.

Despite Ozzy's ailing health, insiders close to the family have indicated that his death was "unexpected to be this soon". It's understood that daughters Aimee, 41, and Kelly, 40, had travelled from Los Angeles to be with their father recently.

His son Jack, 39, also made the journey from Idaho to see his father perform in Birmingham a fortnight ago.

Tributes for the heavy metal pioneer poured in from celebrities worldwide on Tuesday. Elton John hailed Ozzy, stating he "secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods".

Elton further remarked: "He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods - a true legend."