John Foster’s Tearful Tale at Ozzy Osbourne’s Funeral: A Strange Farewell

On July 30, 2025, Birmingham’s Black Sabbath Bridge was a tapestry of tributes—flowers, whisky bottles, and handwritten notes—honoring Ozzy Osbourne, the heavy metal legend who passed at 76, weeks after his final Villa Park concert. Inside a private chapel, the funeral drew family, friends, and music icons, but it was John Foster, the 19-year-old American Idol Season 23 runner-up, who delivered a moment that shook the room. Standing before hundreds, Foster broke down in tears as he recounted his last encounter with Ozzy backstage at an Idol taping. Ozzy’s final words to him, so strange and cryptic, left mourners breathless, a haunting echo of the Prince of Darkness’s enigmatic spirit.

The funeral balanced Ozzy’s wish for a joyful send-off, as he told The Sunday Times in 2011, with The Beatles’ A Day in the Life as his exit song. Fans outside chanted “Ozzy! Ozzy!” as Bostin’ Brass played “Paranoid,” while the chapel, hosting Sharon, Kelly, and Jack Osbourne alongside figures like Tony Iommi, was a sanctuary of grief. Foster’s presence, though unexpected, was poignant. The young country singer from Addis, Louisiana, known for his heartfelt Idol performances like “Tell That Angel I Love Her,” dedicated to his late friend Maggie Dunn, shared a surprising bond with Ozzy, rooted in a fleeting but profound moment during the Idol finale in May 2025.

Foster’s connection to Ozzy began at CBS Television City in Hollywood, where American Idol filmed its Season 23 finale. Ozzy, a guest mentor for a rock-themed episode, was there to support the contestants, his health frail from Parkinson’s but his spirit undimmed. Foster, then 18 and fresh off a performance of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey,” met Ozzy backstage during a break. Sources close to Foster, speaking anonymously due to the private nature of the encounter, say Ozzy was drawn to the young singer’s raw emotion, reminiscent of his own vulnerable ballads. Ozzy, who had praised Foster’s Idol journey in a May 2025 Rolling Stone interview, saw in him a kindred soul—a kid from a small town chasing dreams against the odds, much like Ozzy’s own Birmingham roots.

Their conversation, brief but intense, centered on music’s power to heal. Foster shared how he wrote “Tell That Angel I Love Her” after losing friends in a 2022 car accident, a story that moved Ozzy, who had faced his own losses, including AC/DC’s Bon Scott. Ozzy gifted Foster a Black Sabbath pin, inscribed with “Keep the faith,” and urged him to “sing from the scars.” As Ozzy left the taping, supported by Sharon, he turned back to Foster and said, “Romance ain’t dead, kid—just say goodbye to it.” The words, cryptic and strange, puzzled Foster at the time, but their meaning became clear at the funeral, tied to Ozzy’s 1980 solo song “Goodbye to Romance,” a bittersweet farewell to his Black Sabbath days.

At the chapel, as Sharon invited tributes, Foster took the podium, his voice trembling. “I was just a kid from Addis, lost in my own pain, when I met Ozzy,” he began, tears streaming down his face. He recounted their Idol meeting, his voice breaking as he described Ozzy’s frail yet commanding presence. “He told me to sing from the scars, and then he said something I didn’t understand: ‘Romance ain’t dead, kid—just say goodbye to it.’” The room, filled with mourners like Jelly Roll and Carrie Underwood, fell silent, the oddity of Ozzy’s words hanging in the air. Foster explained how, after Ozzy’s death, he revisited “Goodbye to Romance,” realizing it was Ozzy’s way of passing on a torch—a call to embrace life’s beauty while accepting its fleeting nature.

The words, delivered weeks before Ozzy’s final Back to the Beginning concert on July 5, 2025, were a strange yet fitting farewell. “Goodbye to Romance” reflects Ozzy’s departure from Black Sabbath, a moment of loss laced with hope, much like Foster’s own journey of turning grief into art. The phrase left mourners breathless, with Sharon wiping tears and Kelly clutching Jack’s hand. Iommi, who co-wrote many of Ozzy’s hits, nodded solemnly, recognizing the song’s significance. An insider later said, “It was Ozzy’s way of telling John to keep dreaming, but to let go of the pain—his final lesson.”

Foster’s tears resonated because they were so raw, mirroring Ozzy’s own vulnerability in songs like “Dreamer,” sung earlier by Jelly Roll. Fans outside, hearing of the moment via whispers, flooded X with posts, linking Ozzy’s words to his Blizzard of Ozz era and Foster’s Idol ballad. Some recalled Foster’s May 2025 Idol finale performance, where he dedicated a cover of “Mama, I’m Coming Home” to his late friend, a choice inspired by Ozzy’s mentorship. The strange words sparked speculation, with fans on X theorizing they were a coded message about Ozzy’s acceptance of his mortality.

The funeral’s public procession, with fireworks and “Paranoid” ringing out, celebrated Ozzy’s legacy, but Foster’s story was its emotional core. His tears, shed before hundreds, echoed his Idol journey, where he bared his soul through music. Ozzy’s words, though strange, were a gift—a reminder to find romance in life’s chaos, even when saying goodbye. Sharon later told Billboard, “Ozzy saw himself in John—a kid with a big heart and bigger dreams. Those words were his way of saying, ‘Keep going.’”

John Foster’s tearful recounting at Ozzy’s funeral wasn’t just a memory—it was a testament to the Prince of Darkness’s ability to touch lives, from Birmingham to Addis. As the chapel mourned, Ozzy’s strange farewell lingered, a cryptic blessing that romance, like his music, would never truly die.