Prince of darkness, Ozzy Osbourne is set to get a special tribute at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards following the sad news of his passing on July 22.
Van Toffler, CEO of digital media production and distribution company Gunpowder & Sky, who spent thirty years at MTV will have a key role in the ceremony set to take place on September 7. He told Variety: “Toffler told Variety: “I have no doubt we will spend the next month figuring out the proper tribute and send off to Ozzy on the Video Music Awards, because he was such a large figure in music history, and the family had such an impact on MTV history, and we need to acknowledge that.”
“We were deep in the throes of reality television in the early 2000s but I don’t think we’d ever had someone over 50 years old featured on any show on MTV in its history. We were looking to launch Cribs, and we shot a bit with the Osbournes, and we all kind of looked at each other and just felt there is some wonderful, serendipitous chaos and insanity in this house that people would eat up. What a loving, dysfunctional, chaotic, musical family they were. And it just hit us to keep shooting, which went on for years.”
Indeed, Toffler is also well-known to have helped launched early 2000s iconic MTV reality show The Osbournes which followed the crazy life of Ozzy, Sharon and their children Kelly, Aimee and Jack.
The death was confirmed by the singer’s family in a statement which read: “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. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.” Since then, multiple other artists such as Yungblud, Ozzy’s fellow band members of Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, lead singer of Smashing Pumpkins Billy Corgan, Sir Elton John, AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Led Zeppelin and more have released statements about Ozzy, him as a person and the impact he has had on various different socials.
The members of Black Sabbath said they felt like they “lost their brother” whilst Yungblud, an artist highly praised and loved by Ozzy himself, released some very heart words saying: “I didn’t think you would leave so soon the last time we met you were so full of life and your laugh filled up the room. But as it is written with legends, they seem to know the things that we don’t. I will never forget you – you will be in every single note I sing and with me every single time I walk on stage. Your cross around my neck is the most precious thing I own. You asked me once if there was anything you could do for me and as I said then and as I will say now for all of us the music was enough. You took us on your adventure – an adventure that started it all. I am truly heartbroken. You were the greatest of all time.”
The icon’s death came shortly after his farewell gig with Black Sabbath in his hometown of Birmingham on July 5.
