‘Four kids from Aston’ – Black Sabbath members bid farewell to Ozzy Osbourne
By Kerri-Ann Roper and Jessica Coates, PA
Black Sabbath bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler has said he is “so glad” the band reunited with Ozzy Osbourne one final time, just weeks before the singer’s death at the age of 76.
The music superstar’s death was announced in a statement to the PA news agency saying he was “with his family and surrounded by love”.
In a post on Instagram, Butler paid tribute to his long-time bandmate and friend, reflecting on their final performance together during a farewell concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park earlier this month.
“Thanks for all those years- we had some great fun. 4 kids from Aston- who’d have thought, eh?” he captioned an Instagram post.
“So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston. Love you.”
The emotional tribute came as bandmates Bill Ward and Tony Iommi also expressed their grief.
Iommi, the band’s guitarist, said he was “devastated” by the news.
“It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother.”
Ward, Black Sabbath’s drummer, posted a photo of himself and Osbourne on X, writing: “Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls… no, you’re forever in my heart.”
Earlier this month, Osbourne bid farewell to fans with a Black Sabbath reunion, telling thousands of heavy metal enthusiasts at Villa Park – a stone’s throw from where the band was formed in 1968 – that it was “so good to be on this stage” as he performed his last set from a large black throne.
A family statement said: “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. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Singer Yungblud, who performed Changes at the concert on July 5th with a recording of the live cover released for charity, paid tribute to Osbourne, calling him “the greatest of all time”.
Osbourne and his fellow original Black Sabbath members were the last to appear on stage as part of the star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert.
A post shared by Geezer Butler (@geezerbutler)
Bands including Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N’ Roses were on the lineup, and there were messages of thanks from other celebrities including Jack Black, Ricky Gervais and Dolly Parton.
In an Instagram post, the singer, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, shared photos of the moment he gave the late heavy metal singer a cross on a necklace, similar to the one Osbourne had previously given to him.
He wrote: “I didn’t think you would leave so soon the last time we met you were so full of life and your laugh filled up the room.
“But as it is written with legends, they seem to know things that we don’t. I will never forget you – you will be in every single note I sing and with me every single time I walk on stage.
“Your cross around my neck is the most precious thing I own. You asked me once if there was anything you could do for me and as I said then and as I will say now for all of us the music was enough. You took us on your adventure – an adventure that started it all.
“I am truly heartbroken. You were the greatest of all time.”
Elton John described Osbourne as a “huge trailblazer” who “secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods”.
“He was a dear friend and a huge trailblazer who secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods – a true legend,” Sir Elton wrote on Instagram, adding: “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. Elton xx.”
Osbourne’s theatrical stage presence, including once biting off the head of a bat and styling himself as the Prince of Darkness, marked him out as a controversial figure.
Born John Michael Osbourne on December 3rd 1948, in Aston, Birmingham, he left school at 15 and did odd jobs, including factory work, before teaming up with school friend Butler in several bands.
Black Sabbath went on to become one of the most influential and successful metal bands of all time, selling more than 75 million albums worldwide.
The group were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and Osbourne was added for a second time last year.
He rose to further fame alongside his wife Sharon, whom he married in 1982 and with whom he has three children, Aimee, Jack and Kelly, through their MTV reality TV series The Osbournes.
In 2020, Osbourne revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and he paused touring in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery.
He had a fall at home in 2019, which aggravated injuries from a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003, stopping his No More Tours 2 shows from going ahead in Europe and the UK.
The tour had previously been rescheduled several times because of illness, the Covid-19 pandemic and logistical issues.
He told Good Morning America in January 2020 that it was discovered he had the neurodegenerative disorder after a fall.
He said: “I did my last show New Year’s Eve at The Forum. Then I had a bad fall. I had to have surgery on my neck, which screwed all my nerves and I found out that I have a mild form.”
He and wife Sharon, who was also his manager, met when she was 18, and they married on July 4th 1982, in Hawaii.
Daughter Kelly, 40, duetted with her father on the UK number one single Changes in 2003.
He released his 12th studio album, Ordinary Man, in 2020, followed by Patient Number 9 in 2022, which went to number three and two in the UK charts, respectively.