Ozzy Osbourne’s Death Rekindles Attention on Euthanasia Pact He Made with Sharon Osbourne
The death of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne on Tuesday has not only left a hole in the music world but has also reignited conversation around a deeply personal agreement he made years ago with his wife, Sharon Osbourne.
The 76-year-old Black Sabbath frontman passed away on July 22, surrounded by his family. Just over two weeks prior, he had taken the stage one final time in Birmingham, England, seated in a leather chair, performing during what would become his farewell concert.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,”
read a family statement signed by Sharon and children Jack, Kelly, Aimee, and Louis.
While the exact cause of death has not yet been disclosed, Ozzy had been battling Parkinson’s disease for years, along with undergoing multiple spinal surgeries. His health had steadily declined, prompting his family to cancel public appearances earlier in the year.
Now, renewed attention has turned to a pact he and Sharon discussed publicly in the past — a mutual agreement on euthanasia if either were to suffer from a degenerative brain condition.
In her 2007 memoir, Survivor: My Story – The Next Chapter, Sharon wrote about her fear of following the same fate as her father, who had dementia:
“If this disease is to be my fate, I don’t want to repeat history and go through what my father has gone through,”
she wrote.
“I’ve discussed it with my family and we have a plan in place. My kids would take me to Switzerland where euthanasia is legal, and you can die with dignity.”
She later confirmed this publicly in The Mirror:
“Ozzy and I have absolutely come to the same decision. We believe 100 percent in euthanasia… If Ozzy or I ever got Alzheimer’s, that’s it – we’d be off.”
“We gathered the kids around the kitchen table, told them our wishes and they’ve all agreed to go with it,”
she added.
Sharon had witnessed firsthand the devastation of cognitive decline, watching her father deteriorate from 2002 until his death:
“There’s no way I could go through what he did, or put my kids through that,”
she said.
“Some say the disease is hereditary so at the first sign I want to be put out of my misery.”
“Ozzy and I have asked our lawyers to make the appropriate arrangements. It’s taken away some of the fear of our ending and is a final gift of love to our kids.”
Ozzy himself addressed the subject in 2014 in a Daily Mirror interview, explaining he had discussed assisted death with Sharon should he face a life where he could no longer function:
“If I can’t live my life the way I’m living it now — and I don’t mean financially — then that’s it… Switzerland,”
he said.
“If I had a stroke and was paralyzed, I don’t want to be here.”
However, their daughter Kelly pushed back on public interpretation of the pact in 2024. Responding to speculation, she dismissed it bluntly:
“Stop making articles or posts about how you think my parents are having a suicide pact. That was bulls–t my mom said to get attention one time. And my dad’s not dying. Stop,”
she said, according to *E! News*.
Yet Sharon herself spoke again on the topic in 2023 during The Osbournes Podcast, reinforcing her beliefs:
“Do you think we’re going to suffer instead? Mental suffering is enough pain without physical pain. If you suffer pain with your mind and body, then it’s goodbye,”
she said.
When Kelly challenged her mother with the hypothetical of surviving an illness despite severe limitations, Sharon answered starkly:
“Yeah, what if you survive and you can’t wipe your own butt, you pee everywhere, you poop, and you can’t eat,”
she replied.
While the topic remains divisive, both Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne expressed a desire to face their mortality on their own terms. Whether or not this agreement played a role in Ozzy’s passing remains unknown, but it continues to stir debate on end-of-life choices, autonomy, and the fear of losing oneself.
