Sharon Osbourne 'won battle with insurers ahead of Ozzy's last gig'
Sharon Osbourne was determined to ensure that her husband's farewell gig went ahead.
Sharon Osbourne fought a behind-the-scenes battle with insurance companies ahead of Ozzy Osbourne's last-ever gig.
The Black Sabbath frontman passed away on July 22, aged 76, but Sharon ensured that Ozzy - who was suffering from Parkinson's disease - was able to take to the stage for one final time at Villa Park in Birmingham, after she struck a deal with insurers.
A source told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "It is heartbreaking to think about the stress that Ozzy and Sharon went through in those last few weeks. Ozzy had worked his a** off to get himself to a place where he could at least stand up and wave to fans. But for shows of that magnitude, if the artists do not meet the insurers’ satisfaction of risk liability then the show doesn’t go ahead.
"With the Parkinson’s and the walking issues, no insurance agent would agree to let Oz stand. So to overcome that, and not have a huge insurance premium on the charity show, they secured a deal to have him safely locked in his throne. It was a brilliant compromise.
"It really speaks so much to Sharon’s drive and focus to get it all pulled off, because of the liability issues. She was a miracle worker."
Meanwhile, Ozzy's autobiography is set to be released in October.
The upcoming autobiography will explore the ups and downs of Ozzy's life, including the cheating scandal that almost ended his marriage in 2016.
A source told The Sun on Sunday newspaper: "This book was basically Ozzy’s last confessions and contains a lot of passages about how he is sorry for the affair.
"As he was always brutally honest during his life, it’s been decided not a word will be changed, even about painful times in his life and how his affair affected Sharon."
The 72-year-old TV star - who married Ozzy in 1982 - is expected to write a foreword to the book, which is titled Last Rites.
The source added: "Sharon is made of stern stuff and the publishers know she will want to leave her fingerprint on this book. Writing its foreword will also be cathartic for her and act as a way of laying Ozzy to rest."
