Osbourne's Black Sabbath bandmate 'wasn't prepared' for how frail he appeared before final show
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Geezer Butler, the founding bassist of Black Sabbath, revealed how the band's final concert came together weeks before Ozzy Osbourne's death. In a tribute written for the Times of London, Butler said he was initially taken aback by Osbourne's appearance when the band came in for rehearsals.
'I knew he wasn't in good health, but I wasn't prepared to see how frail he was,' Butler shared, in an otherwise glowing tribute to his longtime bandmate. 'He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane — being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones.'
Butler said that Osbournce became exhausted 'after six or seven songs' and was 'really quiet compared to the Ozzy of old.'
The concert on July 5 was still a massive success, with bands indebted to Sabbath performing before a double set of Osbourne's solo material and Black Sabbath's biggest hits. Osbourne died on July 22, after a years-long battle with Parkinson's disease. Butler shared his appreciation that he got to play one last time with a nearly lifelong friend.
'Nobody knew he'd be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show. But I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans. The love from the fans and all the bands, musicians, singers and solo artists that night was incredible,' he wrote. 'Everyone had come to pay homage to the Prince. I am so privileged to have spent most of my life with him.'
The post Osbourne's Black Sabbath bandmate 'wasn't prepared' for how frail he appeared before final show appeared first on Salon.com.
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Bassist Geezer Butler has recalled how Ozzy Osbourne appeared "frail" at the rehearsal for Black Sabbath's final concert. Last week, a representative for the Osbourne family announced that the rock music icon had died at the age of 76. Just two weeks earlier, Ozzy had joined his bandmates, including Geezer - real name Terence Butler - drummer Bill Ward, and guitarist Tony Iommi, for a farewell spectacle held at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. "Then it was time for Ozzy to join us," he wrote in an essay for The Sunday Times. "I knew he wasn't in good health, but I wasn't prepared to see how frail he was. He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane - being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones." Geezer went on to describe how Ozzy seemed to have little energy in the run-up to the show. "He didn't really say much beyond the usual greetings, and when he sang, he sat in a chair," the musician continued. "We ran through the songs, but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old." In addition, Geezer noted that the "strangest part" of the final concert performance was the "end". "Normally, we would all hug each other and take a bow to the audience," he explained. "But Ozzy was on his throne and we hadn't thought that out. What do we do? Tony shook his hand, I presented him with a cake, but it was such a strange feeling to end our story like that. I wish I'd had more time backstage with Ozzy, but wishes are redundant now." Elsewhere in the essay, Geezer insisted Ozzy had a "heart of gold" despite adopting the nickname "Prince of Darkness". "To me, Ozzy wasn't the Prince of Darkness - if anything, he was the Prince of Laughter. He'd do anything for a laugh, a born entertainer," he added.
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