How Ozzy Osbourne Heard the Gospel: A Celeb Evangelist Is Bringing Jesus to Hollywood
Dylan Novak is on a mission to help save celebrities' souls, intentionally bringing the Gospel to some of the biggest names in entertainment. Novak, founder of Celebrity Evangelist, routinely attends autograph signings and other events to present the salvation message to well-known performers. Most recently, he made headlines for his 2023 interaction with singer Ozzy Osbourne, who died July 22 after a battle with Parkinson's disease.
The evangelist attended an event with Osbourne's family near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, during which he presented the former Black Sabbath frontman with a personalized Bible. Many have reflected back on this interaction in the wake of Osbourne's death. "Ozzy was incredibly kind," Novak said, reflecting back on the experience. "So, I get up to him, shake his hand, told him it was an honor to meet him, and after just kind of a brief introduction, I said, 'The reason I came to meet you today is because I love and care about you and your soul.'"
Novak, who comes to such events prepared after researching each celebrity's spiritual life, told Osbourne he had seen the singer say in a past interview that he identifies "more as a Christian than anything else" and wished he could read the Bible more frequently. So, Novak told Osbourne he had a New Living Translation Bible for him that would be easy to read, and the singer was more than receptive. "He immediately grabbed it and he went right to the Gospels, just kind of thumbing through it," Novak said. "And he looked up at me and he said, 'Well, I can understand this.'"
He continued, "And ... [he] just had such a sweet smile. He loved the fact that it had his name on the cover." Novak also wrote a handwritten letter to Osbourne, something he routinely does with celebrities to respect their time and deliver the full Gospel message he wishes to give. "I want everybody to feel like 'I'm seen as an individual soul, and I'm loved, and cared about on an individual level,'" Novak said of his reason for writing these personal letters. When it came to Osbourne, he followed this same pattern and told the singer why he had penned the note.
The two spoke a bit more, and then Novak said he went to an adjacent room, where he shared the Gospel with the rest of the Osbourne family. Jack, Osbourne's son, spent about half an hour speaking with Novak, and the two discussed his dad. "One of the things he said was, 'Thank you for not thinking dad's evil,'" Novak said, explaining that he took a photo with the family before the encounter ended. Two weeks later, though, Novak ran into Jack at another event — and that's where he learned the full impact his kind gesture had on the singer.
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