Ozzy Osbourne’s longtime bandmate and close friend Tony Iommi believes the legendary frontman “held out” to give fans one last show before he passed away.
The metal legend died on Tuesday (July 22 NZT) at the age of 76, just weeks after reuniting with his former bandmates for his final concert, Back to the Beginning, held in their hometown of Birmingham.
In an interview with ITV News on Wednesday night, Iommi reflected on the bittersweet timing of the show, admitting he feels deep relief that Ozzy made it on stage one last time before his passing.
"I think he really just held out to do that show," Tony explained. "I really feel - and me and Geezer [Butler] were talking about it last night - that we think he held out to do it, and just after that, he's done it and said goodbye to the fans. And that was the end of it, really."
He continued, "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.'"
Although Ozzy had suffered with numerous health issues for years and was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2019, his death still came as a shock, Iommi admitted.
The Black Sabbath co-founder disclosed that Ozzy's passing is yet to fully "sink in" and it will take time to recover from the loss of his close friend.
"I thought, 'It can't be.' I only had a text from him the day before. It just seemed unreal, surreal,” Iommi said.
“And in the night, I started thinking about it: 'God, am I dreaming all this?' But as I said before, he's not looked well through the rehearsals."
The Back to the Beginning benefit concert brought together a huge line-up of rock royalty, including Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Pantera, Tool, and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, amongst many, many others. It was a night that clearly meant a great deal to Ozzy.
Tony recalled Ozzy visiting his changing room in a wheelchair after their performance and although his health was declining, Iommi says the fundraiser had meant "everything to him".
However, preparing for the show and performing live had clearly taken a toll on the heavy metal icon.
"I had the text off him the day before yesterday saying he's tired and he's really got no energy," Iommi shared.
"And I thought, 'Oh, dear' - because it's a lot for him to do that under the problems he's got. And we could see it in rehearsal."
Iommi also took to social media to share his heartbreak over the loss of Ozzy, writing “Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother.”
It’s a sad time in the metal community as we grieve the loss of the absolute legend.
But in true Ozzy fashion, he went out on his terms - on stage, with his brothers, and with his fans screaming back to him one last time.
© Cover Media and The Rock
