Ozzy Osbourne's heart monitored '15 times a day' before final show weeks before he died

Ozzy Osbourne was having his heart monitored "15 times a day" just weeks before he died.

The Prince of Darkness was confirmed to have died, aged 76, on Tuesday afternoon.

The cause of the singer's death has not been confirmed, although there was reported concerns for his heart health in recent months.

The star was exercising to be fit enough to perform at his Back To The Beginning show, which played Villa Park in Birmingham on July 5.

Osbourne played alongside Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward for the first time since 2005.

He had to measure his pulse regularly to ensure he was in good health.

"I am constantly in training seven days a week. I have got this guy who's virtually living with me and I am in bed by seven," Osbourne said.

“I used to have to take a handful of f***ing sleeping pills. Now I don't take anything. I am having my blood pressure taken 15 times a day"

"I’ve got this f***ing device on my finger. It's a monitor to say how my heart rate is," he said on his Sirius XM show in May.

He then joked he may not be getting into heaven: “I'm just taking it one day at a time. Ask him upstairs. In my case, the one below."

The singer added that his goodbye show was concocted by his "brilliant" wife.

“She worked her a** to get this moving,” he said.

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He opened up about his health after many illnesses and accidents.

The star had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019.

“How many surgeries have I had?” he joked.

“I’ve got more f***ing metal in me than a scrap merchants.”

Osbourne said he had been weight training and bike riding to get his strength up.

He said: "I’ve been lying on my back doing nothing and the first thing to go is your strength. It’s like starting all over again."

“I’ve got a vocal coach coming round four days a week to keep my voice going. I have problems walking. I also get blood pressure issues, from blood clots on my legs.

"I’m used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around. I don’t think I’ll be doing much jumping or running around this time.

"I may be sitting down, but the point is I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up.”

Black Sabbath, Osbourne's iconic metal band, shared a simple tribute, writing "Ozzy Forever" alongside a picture of their frontman at his final gig.

In a statement, his family said: "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."

Black Sabbath bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler has said he is “so glad” the band reunited with Ozzy Osbourne one final time, just weeks before the singer’s death at the age of 76.

In a post on Instagram, Butler paid tribute to his long-time bandmate and friend, reflecting on their final performance together during a farewell concert.

“Thanks for all those years- we had some great fun. 4 kids from Aston- who’d have thought, eh?” he captioned an Instagram post.

“So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston. Love you.”click here