Ozzy Osbourne’s Sisters Open Up About Their Much Loved Brother’s Passing

As the music industry continues to mourn the loss of Ozzy Osbourne, family members have issued touching responses to the singer’s death. On July 23rd, 2025, his two sisters, Jean Powell and Gillian Hemming, shared their feelings about their beloved brother and details about their last experiences with him.

As Powell recalled, the sisters recently saw their brother and Black Sabbath in the city of Birmingham, the singer’s birthplace. “It was upsetting because he could not stand up straight, but he was still our John, still cracking the jokes,” Powell told The Mirror. She was also blown away by how fans responded to Osbourne’s death. “To us he was our brother, not a celebrity, so it’s crazy to see the outpouring of love since his death was announced.”

Despite His Illness, Osbourne’s Death Shocked His Sisters

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Osbourne received a Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020 and bravely battled health issues for years. Nevertheless, his death surprised Powell and Hemming. “He was frail but it still came as a shock. He still had plans and things he wanted to do, Powell said.

Powell also shared that one of the hardest things to adjust to will be never hearing from their brother again. Despite the busy schedule fame brings, she said he always made time for them. “Every week without fail he would get in touch, either by phone or text, to ask how we were all doing and what was going on,” she explained. As of this publication, the exact cause of Osbourne’s death has yet to be determined.

To Powell & Hemming, The Black Sabbath Frontman Was ‘Just Our John’

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Fame certainly changes people, but Powell and Hemming say Osbourne was always true to himself. “What the public saw of John was exactly what he was like in real life. It wasn’t an act,” Hemming explained. Although they’re proud of his accomplishments, Powell says the memory of who he was to them is most important. “He was just our John. He used to make us laugh all the time. That’s what I’ll always remember,” she said.

Osbourne was one of six siblings. He had three older sisters, including Powell and Hemming, and two younger brothers. As Powell sadly shared, only three siblings remain, including younger brother Paul.