Delayed poignant documentary takes an emotional journey through final years of life of Prince of Darkness
By James Vukmirovic
Copyright expressandstar
“Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home” was broadcast on BBC One on Thursday, having originally been scheduled for August, but postponed due to the BBC saying it was “respecting the family’s wishes to wait a bit longer” following his death in July at the age of 76.
The documentary follows the last three years of his life and shows Ozzy and his wife Sharon as they planned their dream of moving back to their home in Hertfordshire, with Ozzy declaring that he didn’t want to be buried in America.
It also shows him undergoing physiotherapy and running on a machine aided by prosthetic back and leg supports as part of a bid to return to the stage one last time.
The Black Sabbath frontman is also candid about his health, having suffered from a number of health issues over the years and having been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2020, as well as suffering spinal damage in a late night fall in 2019, which ultimately led to him having to cancel his two-and-a-half-year farewell tour.
Candid and open about his health, Ozzy said in the documentary that he still loved to entertain and spoke of his frustrations at having to sit on a throne to perform with Black Sabbath at the Back To The Beginning concert at the start of July at Villa Park.
He said on the documentary: “The only thing that was terribly frustrating for me, I had to sit there instead of running across the stage.
“I wanted to get up and sing so much. It was very humbling to sit in that chair for nine songs.”
The documentary features his children Aimee, Jack and Kelly, with each talking about their father’s health, but also talking about the family they were and the life they had, with Jack saying it felt like they were back together when his parents returned to the UK.
The love between Ozzy and Sharon is also clear to see on the documentary as well, with Sharon revealing that Ozzy left her little love notes around the house.
The BBC documentary was originally conceived as a series, announced in 2022 and called Home To Roost, and was to document Osbourne and his wife Sharon’s move back from the US, where they had lived for more than two decades.
But the BBC said the project, filmed over three years, evolved as Ozzy’s health deteriorated into the one-hour film, culminating with the Back to the Beginning concert and the emotional send off Ozzy Osbourne received in Birmingham following his death.
“Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home” is available to watch on BBC IPlayer.