'I wrote Ozzy Osbourne a letter at school and received shocking reply two years later'

A fan of Ozzy Osbourne said he received a surprising package from the now late rockstar, after writing him a letter in his teens. While a student at a school in Millis, Massachusetts, Chad Hill and his felllow classmates were given an assignment to write a letter to a company, athlete, or celebrity using the school's computer lab.

For his letter, Chad tried his luck with receiving a response from his hero Ozzy, who sadly died last month aged 76.

As part of the note, the now 46-year-old said he told the Black Sabbath star how much he "loved his music and how Randy Rhoads inspired [him] to play guitar".

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"And I asked for an autograph," he told Newsweek. Neither Chad or his classmates received responses to their letters at first, until an unexpected package arrived on his doorstep two years later.

Ozzy had sent back a typed letter thanking Chad for being a fan, as well as a signed 8x10 photo of himself. "I was absolutely shocked," he shared, and claimed it added "magic, wonder and excitement" to his childhood.

"The fact that it took so long told me that he truly loved his fans, it meant the absolute world to me," he shared.

Chad was so touched by Ozzy's gift he said it "changed [his] life" and has proudly displayed it in every home he's lived in since.

"It's the only piece of 'art' that has always been on my wall. Usually it's hung near my guitars," he added.

"It reminds me that music has real power, and that acts of kindness do too."

He continued: "To go through what must have been thousands upon thousands of letters and actually read them, I mean that costs money, takes time and effort. That told me a lot."

Chad shared his story on the platform Reddit following Ozzy's death, and admits replies to the post had been "emotional" to read.

Alongside Chad, many other fans have spoke out about their experiences of meeting the heavy metal legend.

One named Brent Strong shared pictures of him with Ozzy on Facebook, and wrote of his experience: "Ozzy was sooooo nice. I asked him if he would write his name on my knuckles and draw a smiley face on my knee and autograph it, and he didn’t charge me… he loved my bat sunglasses.

"He really loved his fans, in fact I’ve never seen a celebrity a fan of their fans. Ozzy had the biggest heart! We love U Ozzy forever!"(sic)

During his health battle which sparked a break from the stage, Ozzy admitted he was missing being with his fans.

"I like talking to my fans," he told Billboard News. "I miss them terribly. My goal is to get back on stage as soon as possible."

Ozzy died surrounded by his family, just weeks after he performed a farewell gig alongside Black Sabbath and other famous faces, at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham, near where the band were formed.