When it was announced that Black Sabbath were set to play a farewell show in 2025, many fans were worried that it wouldn’t actually go ahead. Ozzy Osbourne, whose health had been steadily declining over the years – he revealed a Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020 – wasn’t able to walk, but on July 5th, he appeared on a mighty throne and played with Black Sabbath for a 40,000-strong crowd in Birmingham.
While everyone knew, really, that it would be Osbourne’s final performance, it still feels like a shock to discover that now, just 17 days after his performance, the singer has passed away. On July 22nd, at the age of 76, Osbourne died “surrounded by love,” according to his family. Tributes have quickly poured in for the heavy metal pioneer, whose contributions to the world of rock music can hardly be understated.
His legacy as a controversial icon was cemented by frequent headline-making incidents, predominantly caused by his substance abuse issues and crazy antics, such as biting the head off a bat while on stage. He was blasé about his drug use, which took him to corners of the human experience that few of us have ever gone to. Talking to Classic Rock in 2022, he once told an anecdote about the time he “took ten tabs of acid then went for a walk in a field. I ended up standing there talking to this horse for about an hour. In the end, the horse turned round and told me to fuck off. That was it for me.”
It’s easy to remember Osbourne for being the slightly insane, drug-taking, gothic king that he undoubtedly was, his legacy painted in video clips from his time on the reality show The Osbournes, in which he often appeared zombie-like, perpetually confused or annoyed, reeling off some fantastic catchphrases. Yet, regardless of all of that, Osbourne was a truly pioneering musical figure, and he bowed out in the most poetic way possible.
After years of touring – and years of claiming he was going to retire from performing live – Osbourne said his final farewell in the best way fans could ask for. Before the ‘Back to the Beginning’ show, which saw him perform in Aston’s Villa Park, Osbourne had last played with the band in 2017 as part of The End Tour, although drummer Bill Ward was absent. How perfect, then, that the whole group were able to reunite just in time for a fitting goodbye, taking fans on a journey through a few of their most iconic songs – songs that changed rock music forever.
Starting with the classic ‘War Pigs’, the band then played ‘N.I.B.’ from their debut album before following it with ‘Iron Man’ and their most iconic hit ‘Paranoid’. Osbourne also performed a solo set which featured five tracks, including ‘Crazy Train’, delighting fans with a tribute to a career well-lived. It felt like a living tribute, with Osbourne and his band, as well as fans, knowing that this was likely it for the aging rocker. This was the last chance to see Osbourne, to see a piece of true rock history performing in the flesh, in their original line-up, for the last time.
Osbourne’s son Louis wrote on Facebook following the gig, “The audience showed him all the love that you’d expect,” adding that it was “an emotional end to a phenomenal 57 year career.” Louis continued, “I was sobbing at times. It was everything we wanted it to be and more. I had been anxious for months about this as I’ve been worried about my dad’s ability to perform with his Parkinson’s disease. I just wanted it to be a dignified send off for him. But as soon as he started singing we knew he was gonna nail it.”
Certainly, for a musician who could seemingly never back down from touring – he embarked on tours such as ‘No More Tours’, ‘Retirement Sucks’ and ‘No More Tours II’ – having a great big farewell in his hometown, joined by friends and family, couldn’t have been more triumphant.
