Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has paid tribute to his late bandmate and longtime friend Ozzy Osbourne.
It was announced on Tuesday (July 22) that the iconic singer had died at the age of 76, with his family saying he was “surrounded by love”.
The timing of the news has been particularly impactful given that it was less than three weeks ago that Osbourne headlined the giant ‘Back To The Beginning’ concert at Villa Park in Birmingham.
On July 5, Osbourne played alongside guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward for the first time since 2005, with the band performing a four-song set that concluded with Osbourne telling the crowd: “Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts”.
Following the devastating news of Osbourne’s death, Iommi took to social media to pen a short tribute. He shared a carousel of images on Instagram, including black and white picture of a younger Ozzy, a photograph of Ozzy hugging Tony during their farewell tour in 2016, and a recent shot of the entire band ahead of their final show earlier this month.
Iommi wrote: “I just can’t believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park. It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family. Rest in peace Oz.”
Iommi co-founded the band Earth with Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward all the way back in 1968, though they would adopt the Black Sabbath name just a year later. Together, Black Sabbath helped shape the heavy metal genre, and are often called the godfathers of the genre.
During the ‘Back To The Beginning’ show on July 5, Ozzy Osbourne performed two short sets: one of his solo material, and the second with Black Sabbath. For his solo set, Ozzy played ‘I Don’t Know’, ‘Mr. Crowley’, ‘Suicide Solution’, ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ and ‘Crazy Train’.
With Black Sabbath, he performed ‘War Pigs’, ‘Iron Man’, ‘N.I.B.’ and ‘Paranoid’.
Ozzy Osbourne at ‘Back To The Beginning’. CREDIT: Ross Halfin
It was recently revealed that a film documenting the ‘Back To The Beginning’ show will be released in cinemas in 2026. It is described as “a love letter to Ozzy and the pioneering sound of Black Sabbath” and “will be a distilled version of the epic all-day event held at Villa Park. Featuring thunderous performances of ‘War Pigs,’ ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Children of the Grave’ and a show-stopping ‘Paranoid,’ the film promises a deeply personal and electrifying farewell from the godfather of heavy metal with exclusive behind-the-scenes access and interviews from this iconic live performance.”
In an interview with The Guardian earlier this year, Osbourne looked ahead to playing the last Black Sabbath show in good health, saying: “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. All I can do is turn up.” He sat down for the duration of the performance.
His wife and manager, Sharon, also told NME earlier this year that, although he “can’t walk” as a result of Parkinson’s, his illness “didn’t affect his voice”. “He wants to say thank you to everybody,” she explained to us at Villa Park. “He didn’t have that chance because of his illness, but now he does have the chance.”
Among the people who have paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne are Elton John, Metallica, Tom Morello, Yungblud, who performed at ‘Back To The Beginning’ and personally gifted a custom-made gold cross to Osbourne at the finale show and more – check them out here.
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