On Tuesday, fans around the globe mourned the sudden loss of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne, who died at 76. Just over two weeks before his passing, the Prince of Darkness took the stage one final time during Black Sabbath’s farewell concert in Birmingham, his beloved hometown and the birthplace of heavy metal.
Tony Iommi Was “Shocked” By Osbourne’s Passing
(Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame)Jack Black and Ozzy Osbourne onstage during the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony streaming on Disney+ at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on October 19, 2024, in Cleveland, Ohio.
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, who shared decades of music and friendship with Osbourne, broke his silence in an emotional interview with Guitar World.
Ozzy Osbourne with his vocal coach Katie Riggs before what would it be his last performance.
“It was a shock for us,” Iommi admitted. “When I heard yesterday, it couldn’t sink in. I thought, ‘It can’t be.’ I only had a text from him the day before.”
The Toll of That Final Performance
(Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)Flowers, candles, drinks, and messages in memory of Ozzy Osbourne are left on the Black Sabbath Bridge bench on Broad Street on July 23, 2025, in Birmingham, England.
Despite the energy Ozzy displayed during the farewell event, Iommi revealed that his health had clearly been deteriorating.
Ozzy Osbourne’s last performance “Mama I’m coming home” July 5th, 2025…17 days later, he went home.
RIP to The Prince of Darkness🤘🏼✨
“He’s not looked well through the rehearsals,” Iommi said. “I think he really just held out to do that show. And just after that, he’s done it and said goodbye to the fans. And that was the end of it, really.”
In Ozzy Osbourne’s own words, the sheer effort he put in both mentally and physically to perform his final gig before he died yesterday.
Iommi believes Osbourne had an unspoken sense that the performance might be his last. “I think he must have had something in his head that said, ‘Well, this is gonna be it, the last thing I’m ever gonna do.’ Whether he thought he was gonna die or what, I don’t know. But he really wanted to do it… and fair dues, he’d done it.”
A Text Message Days Before
(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)Warner Bros. Records publicity still photo of Black Sabbath (L-R) Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Ozzy Osbourne, circa 1970.
Osbourne’s final message to Iommi came just a day before he passed away. It was brief but revealing.
“He said he was tired and low on energy,” Iommi recalled. “We could see it in rehearsal. We didn’t want him there every day… they’d bring him in and he’d sit down and sing a few songs, and then we’d talk about some rubbish old times… have a laugh, and then he’d go.”
A Farewell Meant to Be
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)Musicians Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, and Geezer Butler of Black Sabbath appear at a press conference to announce their first new album in 33 years and a world tour in 2012 at the Whisky a Go Go on November 11, 2011, in West Hollywood, California.
The final concert wasn’t just a performance; it was a goodbye.
“The gig was for him, really,” Iommi said. “For us, to say goodbye. And to have Bill [Ward] drum with us as well after 20 years.”
Although the show clearly drained him, no one in the band expected Osbourne to pass so soon.
“We didn’t expect him to go that quickly, really,” Iommi said. “We didn’t expect him to go. So it’s been a shock.”
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