“The Guts It Took For Him To Get Through That Final Concert”: People Remember Ozzy Osbourne

Members of Black Sabbath honored Ozzy Osbourne with heartbreaking words and reflected on how four kids from Aston went on to become global music legends

Drummer Bill Ward, bassist and lyricist Geezer Butler, and Guitarist Tony Iommi shared deeply personal statements, remembering the lead singer and their longtime friend.

“Ozzy Forever,” the band wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of him at their farewell final concert in the singer’s hometown of Birmingham, England, on July 5.

The rock singer passed away at the age of 76 on Tuesday, July 22.

“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” the family said in a statement

The cause of his passing was not specified.

He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” added the statement, signed by his wife Sharon Osbourne and children Jack, Kelly, Aimee, and Louis.

Tony Iommi, who co-founded Black Sabbath with Ozzy, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward in the late ‘60s, said they lost their “brother.”

“I just can’t believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park,” he wrote on social media.

It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him,” he continued. “Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family. Rest in peace, Oz.”

Bill Ward said the band frontman will forever be “in [his] heart.”

“Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls, no, you’re forever in my heart,” he said in his tribute.

“Deepest condolences to Sharon and all family members. RIP. Sincere regrets to all the fans. Never goodbye. Thank you forever.”

Geezer Butler also wrote his own tribute and said, “Goodbye dear friend- thanks for all those years- we had some great fun. 4 kids from Aston- who’d have thought, eh? So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston. Love you.”

Ozzy Osbourne was born John Michael Osbourne in the Aston area of Birmingham on December 3, 1948.

He was raised by his father, Jack, a toolmaker, and his mother, Lillian, who worked at a car component-making factory.

The singer was in primary school when he picked up the nickname Ozzy, and he worked random odd jobs after dropping out of school at the age of 15.

He and his friend Terry ‘Geezer’ Butler first formed a band called Rare Breed and eventually joined Tony Iommi and Bill Ward to form The Polka Tulk Blues Band. They later changed their name to Earth.

Their intention was to make “scary” music and would rehearse in a room opposite a local theater.

When the 1963 horror film Black Sabbath played at the theater, it inspired their new name and gave a new identity to the most influential metal band of all time.

Over time, the band had several best-selling albums and received critical praise by the 1970s.

But Ozzy’s unreliability and dependency on illicit substances got him fired by his bandmates.

Ozzy, the ‘Prince of Darkness,’ went on to have a successful solo career with the help of Sharon Arden, the daughter of Black Sabbath’s manager Don Arden.

“If it wasn’t for Sharon, I’d be long de*d,” he once told Appleyard.

After being fired, the ‘Prince of Darkness’ built a successful solo career with the help of Sharon Osbourne

Sharon and Ozzy welcomed three children and went on to enjoy more fame in 2002 when their family’s lives were shown in a reality TV series.

Over the years, members of Black Sabbath reunited and performed together at regular intervals.

Ozzy performed from a throne due to mobility issues for Black Sabbath’s farewell concert on July 5.

Fellow rockers like Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and Steven Tyler from Aerosmith performed at the show and paid tribute to him with thousands of fans.

Fellow rockers like Jon Bon Jovi, AC/DC, and Alice Cooper shared heartfelt tributes

AC/DC paid tribute to the deceased singer following his passing, saying: “So sad! A great loss to all that loved him.”

Jon Bon Jovi shared two pictures of himself next to Ozzy, taken several years apart.

“Much love to Sharon and the beautiful Osbourne Family. So sorry to hear of your loss,” he wrote. “Rest easy Ozzy.”

Rock singer Alice Cooper called him a “rock n roll legend” and said the “whole world” is mourning the loss.

“Over his long career, he earned immense respect among his peers and from fans around the world as an unmatched showman and cultural icon,” he said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter

I always saw Ozzy as a cross between the prince of darkness, which is the persona his fans saw, and the court jester,” Alice said, noting that the latter was a side only his friends and family saw.

He went on to talk about how the rock n roll family is grieving the loss.

“When we lose one of our own, it bleeds … A titanic boulder has crashed, but rock will roll on,” he said.

Sir Elton John also shared a tribute to the “huge trailblazer,” a “true legend,” and “dear friend.”

He “secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend,” the fellow British singer wrote. “He was also one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love.