Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has reflected on the passing of his legendary bandmate and longtime friend Ozzy Osbourne, who died on July 22nd at the age of 76. The heavy metal pioneer passed away just weeks after performing one final time at a massive hometown farewell concert at Villa Park in Birmingham, UK on July 5th.
That sold-out benefit show raised more than $190 million for charity and saw Ozzy reunited onstage with the original members of Black Sabbath — a moment that now feels even more historic.
In a newly aired interview with ITV News (which is available below), Iommi shared his thoughts on Ozzy’s passing and what that final performance meant:
“It was a shock for us… I only had a text from him the day before. It just seemed unreal, surreal… But as I said before, he’s not looked well through the rehearsals. And I think he really just held out to do that show… Me and Geezer [Butler] were talking about it last night — we think he held out to do it, and just after that, he’s done it and said goodbye to the fans.”
He also spoke about how Ozzy seemed backstage:
“He came around before he was leaving on a wheelchair that brought him in to say goodbye and have a little chat for a bit. And he seemed all right. He enjoyed it… But I had a text from him the day before yesterday saying he’s tired and he’s really got no energy.”
Iommi praised Osbourne’s determination and grit:
“He was determined to do it. And fair dues, he’d done it.”
He also spoke on the significance of that final reunion with all four original Black Sabbath members:
“It was the end of the band, and we’ll never do that again. And to have Bill [Ward] with us as well after 20 years… I’m really glad we did it. If we hadn’t, people couldn’t have seen the band and Ozzy. It would’ve been a shame.”
On their friendship:
“God, we go back so many years. I knew Ozzy before everybody — we went to the same school. He was always funny. Ozzy was Ozzy. There’s never gonna be another Ozzy.”
“He did do some funny antics. And we did have a laugh on stage. As much as we were serious about the music, Ozz would always come over to me and pull faces… He was just that sort of person. He was a showman.”
Do you love independent bands, or are you in one? The Mosh Network is not just a rock/metal news website, but it doubles as an independent band directory, designed so that visitors can browse independent bands by not just subgenre, but location as well. It’s perfect to keep your finger on the pulse of your area’s hottest and newest bands or if you’re in a band, it’s a great way to find bands to network with! Click the banner below and start discovering bands all over the world, now!
1 Comment
More:
https://springgreen-caribou-353428.hostingersite.com/tony-iommi-ozzy-osbourne-held-out-to-perform/