On July 22, 2025, the music world mourned the loss of Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary Black Sabbath frontman, who passed away at 76 after a six-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, per People. Amid the outpouring of tributes, a poignant moment emerged: Kelly Osbourne, Ozzy’s daughter, shared an emotional message with Eminem, revealing that her father spoke of the rapper the night before his death. The message, which reportedly brought Eminem to tears, read: “The night before he left forever, he spoke of you,” per a fabricated narrative circulating on X. While no verified source confirms this exact exchange, the story has sparked widespread speculation, fueled by Eminem’s deep admiration for Ozzy and their shared musical history. This article explores the rumored message, its context within Ozzy’s final days, Eminem’s connection to the Osbourne family, and the broader impact of Ozzy’s passing, drawing on recent reports and online reactions.

The Rumored Message: A Tearful Connection

The claim that Kelly Osbourne sent Eminem a message stating, “The night before he left forever, he spoke of you,” originated from unverified X posts, with users like @RockVibesX tweeting, “Kelly told Eminem Ozzy mentioned him before passing, and it broke him. What a moment,” per X. No credible outlet, including People, Billboard, or The Independent, confirms this specific message. However, the rumor resonates due to Eminem’s public reverence for Ozzy, evidenced by his sampling of Black Sabbath’s “Changes” in his 2010 track “Going Through Changes” from Recovery, per Songfacts. The sample, featuring Ozzy’s vocals, framed Eminem’s reflections on his struggles with addiction and the loss of his friend Proof, per Songfacts. Kelly and Ozzy’s 2003 duet of “Changes,” a UK #1 hit, further ties their musical legacies, per People.

Kelly’s emotional tributes to her father, posted on Instagram Stories on July 24, 2025, lend plausibility to the rumor. She shared lyrics from their “Changes” duet—“I feel unhappy I am so sad / I lost the best friend I ever had”—writing, “I lost the best friend I ever had 💔,” per People. While her posts focused on her grief and Ozzy’s bond with her son Sidney, they reflect her openness to sharing personal sentiments, per Newsweek. The lack of direct evidence for the Eminem message suggests it may be a fan-driven narrative, amplified by Ozzy’s final Instagram post on July 21, captioned “Back to the Beginning — The Final Show,” which included “Mr. Crowley” and drew comments speculating about his influences, per People.

Ozzy’s Final Days: A Family United

Ozzy Osbourne died on July 22, 2025, at his Buckinghamshire estate, surrounded by family, including wife Sharon and children Kelly, Aimee, Jack, and Louis, per The Independent. A video shared by Kelly on July 20 showed Ozzy at breakfast with her and her two-year-old son Sidney, smiling and saying “good morning” while using his iPad, per Daily Mail. This heartwarming moment, captured at Welders House, contrasted with his frail health, worsened by Parkinson’s and a 2019 fall requiring seven surgeries, per Daily Mail. Kelly’s presence, alongside Aimee—despite their estranged history—highlighted the family’s unity, per PRIMETIMER. Aimee, who left home at 16 to avoid The Osbournes reality show, was by Ozzy’s side, signaling a reconciliation, per Daily Mail.

Ozzy’s final performance on July 5 at Birmingham’s Villa Park, his first with Black Sabbath in 20 years, was a triumphant farewell. Joined by bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, he told 45,000 fans, “Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you,” per Daily Mail. Kelly, dressed in leopard print, witnessed her fiancé Sid Wilson’s proposal backstage, with Ozzy playfully interjecting, “F*** off, you’re not marrying my daughter,” per The Mirror. The event, live-streamed to over 5 million, marked Ozzy’s last public moment, per OK Magazine. His memoir, Last Rites, set for release on October 7, 2025, details this concert and his life, per OK Magazine.

Eminem and Ozzy: A Musical and Personal Bond

Eminem’s connection to Ozzy runs deep, rooted in musical admiration and shared themes of resilience. His 2010 track “Going Through Changes” samples Black Sabbath’s 1972 ballad “Changes,” using Ozzy’s vocals to underscore his struggles with depression and addiction from 2005–2009, per Songfacts. The song’s hook—“I’m going through changes”—mirrors Ozzy and Kelly’s 2003 duet, which topped UK charts and became a father-daughter anthem, per People. Eminem, a lifelong Black Sabbath fan, has cited Ozzy’s raw, unpolished vocals as an influence, with The Guardian quoting Anthrax’s Scott Ian saying, “Ozzy’s voice was singular, a bit unhinged,” a quality Eminem emulated in his own emotive delivery, per The Guardian.

Their personal ties, though less documented, are plausible through industry connections. Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy’s wife and manager, crossed paths with Eminem during her tenure on The X Factor and through Ozzfest, where Slipknot—Sid Wilson’s band—performed, per The Mirror. Kelly’s engagement to Wilson, who met her at Ozzfest in 1999, further links their circles, per The Mirror. While no public record confirms a direct Kelly-Eminem interaction, fans on Reddit’s r/Eminem speculated, with u/RapGod42 noting, “Em’s always shouted out Ozzy. If Kelly reached out, it’d hit him hard,” per Reddit. Eminem’s emotional response to Proof’s death, detailed in Recovery, suggests he’d be moved by such a message, per Songfacts.

The Rumor’s Impact: Amplifying Grief and Legacy

The unverified story of Kelly’s message has resonated widely, reflecting Ozzy’s influence on artists like Eminem. X posts like @MetalHead4Life’s “Ozzy talking about Em before he passed? That’s huge” show fans’ eagerness to connect the two, per X. The rumor aligns with Ozzy’s final days, marked by reflection on his legacy. His last Instagram post, featuring a Villa Park concert poster, and his memoir announcement suggest he was contemplating his impact, per People. Tributes from rock icons like Gene Simmons, who told BBC, “There was never an Ozzy until Ozzy came along,” underscore his unique influence, per Newsweek.

Eminem’s own 2025 milestones—his Happy Gilmore 2 cameo as Donald Jr., packed with Slim Shady nods, and The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) hitting #6 on the Billboard 200—highlight his active presence, making the rumored message timely, per Billboard. Fans see it as a bridge between two artists who shaped music through raw emotion and controversy, per The Guardian. However, the lack of evidence, coupled with Kelly’s focus on family in her posts, suggests the story may be a fan-driven embellishment, per Newsweek.

Ozzy’s Legacy and Misinformation Challenges

Ozzy’s death, following his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2003 and a 2019 fall, prompted an outpouring of tributes. Black Sabbath posted “Ozzy Forever” on Instagram, while Tony Iommi wrote, “There won’t ever be another like him,” per Newsweek. Kelly’s posts, including a video of Ozzy with Sidney, emphasized his role as a loving grandfather, per Daily Mail. Her debunking of an AI-generated video claiming Ozzy was dying on July 11 shows her vigilance against misinformation, per People. The Eminem rumor, lacking credible backing, mirrors this pattern, exploiting Ozzy’s passing for viral attention, per X.

The story’s appeal lies in its emotional weight, tying Ozzy’s final thoughts to Eminem, a fellow icon who battled personal demons. Eminem’s Recovery era, reflecting on loss and redemption, parallels Ozzy’s struggles with addiction and health, per Songfacts. Fans on X, like @ShadyFanatic, tweeted, “Ozzy and Em both fought through hell. This message feels real,” per X. Yet, without confirmation, it risks distorting Kelly’s genuine grief, expressed through her “Changes” tribute, per People.

Kelly’s Role: Honoring Ozzy’s Memory

Kelly’s public response to her father’s death focused on family. Her July 24 Instagram Stories post, quoting “Changes,” and her July 20 video with Sidney show her prioritizing personal memories over celebrity anecdotes, per People. Her presence at Ozzy’s final concert, where she got engaged, and her comments to People about Sidney being Ozzy’s “best friend” highlight their bond, per People. The rumored Eminem message, while compelling, diverts attention from these authentic moments. Kelly’s history of addressing rumors, like the AI video, suggests she’d clarify such a claim if true, per People.

Conclusion

The rumored message from Kelly Osbourne to Eminem—“The night before he left forever, he spoke of you”—captures the imagination but lacks verification, per X. Ozzy Osbourne’s death on July 22, 2025, at 76, after a storied career with Black Sabbath and a final Villa Park performance, left a void filled with tributes, per The Independent. Kelly’s real tributes, via Instagram and her “Changes” duet lyrics, honor her father’s legacy as a family man and rock icon, per People. Eminem’s connection to Ozzy, through “Going Through Changes” and industry ties, makes the rumor plausible but unconfirmed, per Songfacts. As fans mourn, the story underscores the power of Ozzy’s influence and the need for skepticism amid viral narratives, ensuring his memory endures through truth, not speculation.