‘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.’

Sources close to the family say that his passing was ‘unexpected to be this soon’ but that his children were so grateful to have been around him in his last days after he performed his final gig just over two weeks ago.

Heavy metal hellraiser Ozzy, known to legions of fans as The Prince of Darkness, passed away at the Buckinghamshire mansion where his wife Sharon – a former X Factor judge – had spent at least two years preparing for his final moments.

The Mail can also reveal that daughters Aimee, 41, and Kelly, 40, were there to care for him as recently as last week after flying in