Fans are celebrating the life of Ozzy Osbourne by sharing footage from his final show with Black Sabbath.
It was announced on Tuesday (July 22) that the iconic singer had died at the age of 76, with his family saying he was “surrounded by love”.
The timing of the news has been particularly impactful given that it was less than three weeks ago that Osbourne headlined the giant ‘Back To The Beginning’ concert at Villa Park in Birmingham.
On July 5, Osbourne played alongside guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward for the first time since 2005, with the band performing a four-song set that concluded with Osbourne telling the crowd: “Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts”.
Watch footage from the final performance here and check out fan-captured videos below.
Ozzy also played a final solo show earlier that day, ascending to the stage on a giant winged throne. He played ‘I Don’t Know’, ‘Mr. Crowley’, ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ and ‘Crazy Train’. Watch footage from that set here and further videos below.
‘Back To The Beginning’ boasted a star-studded line-up, including the likes of Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Metallica, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Anthrax, and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler. The gig went on to become the highest-grossing charity concert of all time, bringing in just under £200million for good causes.
The show also saw Ozzy’s daughter Kelly Osbourne get engaged to Slipknot’s Sid Wilson backstage. As Wilson got down on one knee, Ozzy interjected: “Fuck off! You’re not marrying my daughter.”
Yungblud also led a supergroup at the concert for a rendition of ‘Changes’, which the singer has since officially released, with proceeds going to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorns Children’s Hospice.
It was recently revealed that a film documenting the ‘Back To The Beginning’ show will be released in cinemas in 2026. It is described as “a love letter to Ozzy and the pioneering sound of Black Sabbath” and “will be a distilled version of the epic all-day event held at Villa Park. Featuring thunderous performances of ‘War Pigs,’ ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Children of the Grave’ and a show-stopping ‘Paranoid,’ the film promises a deeply personal and electrifying farewell from the godfather of heavy metal with exclusive behind-the-scenes access and interviews from this iconic live performance.”
In an interview with The Guardian earlier this year, Osbourne looked ahead to playing the last Black Sabbath show in good health, saying: “I’ll be there, and I’ll do the best I can. All I can do is turn up.” He sat down for the duration of the performance.
He had told fans that he was “in heavy training” for the forthcoming farewell concert, and was back in the gym. Osbourne also said he would only be “doing little bits and pieces” with Sabbath at Villa Park amid his health problems: “I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable.”
His wife and manager, Sharon, also told NME earlier this year that, although he “can’t walk” as a result of Parkinson’s, his illness “didn’t affect his voice”. “He wants to say thank you to everybody,” she explained to us at Villa Park. “He didn’t have that chance because of his illness, but now he does have the chance.”
See a range of tributes to the Prince of Darkness from the world of music here.
