Former Megadeth Bassist David Ellefson Shares Final Encounter With Ozzy Osbourne: He Was ‘Glowing’ That Night

The recent passing of Ozzy Osbourne on July 22 sent shockwaves through the music world, prompting a profound sense of loss among musicians and fans alike. Among those reflecting on the heavy metal icon’s death is former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, who recounted the moment he received the somber news and shared poignant memories of his final encounter with the “Prince of Darkness.”

Speaking to Ron Hoon and Syleste Rodriguez on Fox 10 Phoenix on Wednesday, July 23, Ellefson articulated a sentiment likely shared by many (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Well, it’s funny, I think that is a question that’s gonna be with all of us: where were you when you heard the news [about Ozzy dying]?” For Ellefson, the moment arrived unexpectedly while he was at Battery studio in London. He described his guitar player, Walter, coming downstairs to ask, “Did you hear that Ozzy might have died?”

Upon receiving a news clip from Sky News, Ellefson immediately reached out to Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, a mutual friend with whom he had recently performed alongside Ozzy at the “Back To The Beginning” farewell event in Birmingham. “I said, ‘Is this for real?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know. It looks pretty big’,” Ellefson recalled. Confirmation soon followed from Eric Singer of Kiss, who contacted Ellefson‘s singer Jeff Scott Soto, solidifying the “shocking news.”

Ellefson went on to reflect on seeing Ozzy for the last time on July 5 at the very “Back To The Beginning” event in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The event saw Ozzy perform both with his solo band and Black Sabbath, a monumental effort given his health challenges. Ellefson described the atmosphere after the show: “Sharon [Osbourne] gave me and a few of us some tickets to go to [a VIP area]… And ironically, they bring Ozzy in. I see him, he waves me over. We have a minute to just talk, and he’s glowing. There’s this after-show glow you get right after performing, especially at a stadium gig like that. And he looked fantastic. He was sitting down, he was in his chair, but he looked like he was just the king of the ball, as he was.”

A particularly memorable moment from that evening, which Ellefson described as “like being in the Osbournes’ living room right now,” was the unexpected proposal of Ozzy‘s daughter Kelly Osbourne by her boyfriend right in front of the family. “It was just such a beautiful moment,” Ellefson added, highlighting the intimate and special nature of the event. He characterized the entire concert as “heavy metal Live Aid,” noting its “special feeling” and excellent sound.

Reflecting on Ozzy’s enduring legacy as one of heavy metal’s originators with Black Sabbath, Ellefson drew a parallel to another music icon. “Look, Ozzy was our Elvis [Presley]. And I remember, I was 13 years old. My mom was a big Elvis fan. I grew up on a farm in Minnesota, and I remember the day Elvis died, time stood still. The world stopped. And that’s what it felt like [on Tuesday, when Ozzy died] and even feels like today [one day after the fact]. It’s just like time has stood still.”

Ellefson also found a unique beauty in the timing of the “Back To The Beginning” event. “The beauty of it is the way the [‘Back To The Beginning‘] event happened — obviously, we all knew the end was coming for Ozzy; the end was near, with his health condition. So rather than throwing a concert afterwards to remember him, it’s like we did the show in advance so we could all say goodbye to him,” Ellefson explained.

“He could say goodbye to all of us and all of his fans. And it’s kind of like we got to have the memorial and the wake and the celebration of life before he actually passed. And I think that was just such a remarkable thing, because now that he’s gone, we have great memories of him and having just seen him and performed for us, rather than going, ‘Gosh, I, I sure wish I could have seen him one last time.’ So I think that there, there is a little bit of kind of divine beauty in how it all has played out, actually.”

Ozzy Osbourne’s family confirmed his passing on Tuesday morning, July 22, stating he was “with his family and surrounded by love.” While no cause of death was officially released, Osbourne had battled Parkinson’s disease and injuries from a 2019 fall in recent years.