Geezer Butler has said that he “wasn’t prepared” to see how frail Ozzy Osbourne was at the final Black Sabbath show.
- READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne, 1948-2025: culture-smashing revolutionary that redefined rock and reality TV
The death of the heavy metal pioneer and iconic Black Sabbath frontman was announced last Tuesday (July 22). His family said in a statement that the 76-year-old music icon was “surrounded by love” at the time of his passing.
It came shortly after he took to the stage for the huge ‘Back To The Beginning’ gig in Birmingham on July 5 – marking his final show both as a solo artist and with Black Sabbath. While a cause of death has not been revealed, Ozzy had notably been dealing with a myriad of health issues for numerous years, including being diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
Now, in a new essay for The Sunday Times, Osbourne’s bandmate Butler admitted he was aware the singer had health issues, but said he was shocked to see how “frail” he had become in his final days.
“I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was,” Butler wrote. “He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane – being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones.”
Butler continued: “He didn’t really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair. We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old. After a couple more weeks we were ready for the show.”
“Normally, we would all hug each other and take a bow to the audience,” Butler added. “But Ozzy was on his throne and we hadn’t thought that out. What do we do? Tony shook his hand, I presented him with a cake, but it was such a strange feeling to end our story like that.
“I wish I’d had more time backstage with Ozzy, but wishes are redundant now. As Ozzy used to say: ‘Wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which comes first.’”
Butler added: “Nobody knew he’d be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show. But I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans. The love from the fans and all the bands, musicians, singers and solo artists that night was incredible.
“Everyone had come to pay homage to the Prince. I am so privileged to have spent most of my life with him. Of course, there are millions of things I will think of that I should have written, but how can I sum up 57 incredible years of friendship in a few paragraphs? God bless, Oz, it has been one hell of a ride! Love you!”
During the ‘Back To The Beginning’ show on July 5, 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’.
In an interview 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 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.”
It has since been confirmed that the show may have been one of the highest-grossing charity concert of all time, bringing in “a ton” for their chosen charities Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
We also know now that a film documenting the gig is currently in production from Mercury Studios and is set to arrive in cinemas in 2026. It has a reported run time of 100 minutes and is described as “a love letter to Ozzy and the pioneering sound of Black Sabbath”.
Countless fans and figures from the music world have shared tributes to the ‘Crazy Train’ singer – including Zak Starkey, Adam Sandler, Ghost’s Tobias Forge, Alice Cooper, Elton John, Yungblud, Billie Joe Armstrong, Jack White, Coldplay, Gojira and his former guitarist Jake E Lee.
In other news, Megadeth have explained why they were absent from the farewell concert, and Black Sabbath‘s streaming numbers on Spotify have skyrocketed following Osbourne’s death.
