<p id=”par-1_53″>Ozzy Osbourne’s death certificate lists three roles under his occupation: <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>songwriter</a>, performer, and <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/classic-rock/?swcfpc=1″>rock legend</a>. As a death certificate is a legal document, the title of “rock legend” has raised some eyebrows. Can a person’s family members make claims like this on a death certificate? A lawyer weighed in on what is allowed.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-ozzy-osbourne-s-death-certificate-calls-him-a-rock-legend”>Ozzy Osbourne’s death certificate calls him a ‘rock legend’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_43″>Osbourne’s eldest daughter <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/ozzy-osbourne-lived-terror-1st-wife-thelma-riley-leaving.html/”>with Sharon Osbourne</a>, Aimée, filed his death certificate at a London registry. On it, she listed his occupation as “Songwriter, Performer, and Rock Legend.” While Osbourne was undoubtedly a songwriter and performer, the title of “rock legend” is more subjective.</p>
<p id=”par-3_22″>Legal expert Adam Jones from <a href=”https://www.hdclaims.co.uk/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>HD Claims</a> UK shared why a title like “rock legend” can be listed on a legal document.</p>
<p id=”par-4_85″>“A death certificate is first and foremost a legal document,” he said. “There are very strict rules around the medical cause of death, but slightly more flexibility in the ‘occupation’ field — which is likely how a term like ‘Rock Legend’ was included. The occupation section is filled out based on information provided by the informant – usually a family member – and isn’t medically or legally verified in the same way other parts of the certificate are. So while it’s unusual, it’s not unlawful.”</p>
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<p id=”par-5_21″>That doesn’t mean that Aimée could have put just anything as Osbourne’s occupation, though. “Rock Legend” relates to Osbourne’s actual career.</p>
<p id=”par-6_51″>“You couldn’t, for example, write something sentimental like ‘Best Dad Ever’ or anything obscene,” he said. “But descriptors like ‘legend’ – if used as part of a former occupation – fall into a bit of a grey area. Registrars tend to allow it unless it undermines the seriousness of the document.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-his-former-bandmate-spoke-about-his-funeral”>His former bandmate spoke about his funeral</h2>
<p id=”par-7_29″>After Osbourne’s death on July 22, his family hosted a private funeral in Birmingham, England. His former bandmate, Robert Trujillo, said it was a beautiful celebration of Osbourne’s life.</p>
<p id=”par-8_65″>“It was a small group of people but it was very, very beautiful,” he said on the<em> Trunk Nation </em>podcast. “It was very sad, but at the same time, some of the speeches were, as you could imagine, pretty funny. People sharing stories, and all of a sudden there’s laughter, and ‘I remember this, I remember that.’ It felt like there was closure from this.”</p>
<p id=”par-9_23″>Though the beginning of the funeral was rainy, the sun came out during the “amazing eulogy” given by Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler.</p>
<p id=”par-10_20″>“The sun actually came out, and then it was beautiful from that moment on,” he said. “A very magical moment.”</p>
<p id=”par-11_14″>Osbourne’s daughter Kelly also sang the song “Mama, I’m Coming Home” during the ceremony.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-what-was-ozzy-osbourne-s-cause-of-death”>What was Ozzy Osbourne’s cause of death?</h2>
<p id=”par-12_19″>Osbourne died just weeks after <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/ozzy-osbournes-final-concert-raised-175-million-for-charity.html/”>performing his final concert</a>. He publicly revealed his diagnosis <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/sharon-osbourne-reveals-the-hardest-part-of-seeing-ozzy-osbourne-battle-parkinsons-disease.html/”>of Parkinson’s disease</a> in 2020.</p>
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<div class=”related-article related-article–simple”>
<span class=”related-article-flag”>Related</span>
<p class=”related-article__title”>
<a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/news/22-year-old-ozzy-osbourne-certain-die-40.html/”>
A 22-Year-Old Ozzy Osbourne Was Certain He’d Die Before 40 </a>
</p>
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<p id=”par-13_34″>Per <a href=”https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/05/arts/music/ozzy-osbourne-cause-of-death.html” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>The New York Times</a>, Osbourne’s death certificate said he died of “(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes).”</p>
<p id=”par-14_3″>Osbourne was 76.</p>