Ozzy Osbourne ‘held out' for Black Sabbath farewell concert before dying, bandmate says
Following the rock icon's death at age 76 on Tuesday, his Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi told ITV News that he thinks Osbourne 'held out' for the band's July 5 farewell concert before he passed away.
'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,' Iommi, 77, shared in the interview.
11 Ozzy Osbourne during Black Sabbath's 'Back to the Beginning' concert on July 5.
Greg Draven/X
11 Tommy Clufetos, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne, and Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath perform in New York in 2016.
WireImage
'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,'' the musician continued of Osbourne.
'Whether he thought he was gonna die or what, I don't know. But he really wanted to do it; he was determined to do it. And fair dues, he'd done it.'
Earlier this month, Osbourne reunited with Iommi, Butler and Bill Ward for Black Sabbath's 'Back to the Beginning' concert at Villa Park in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England.
11 Ozzy Osbourne performs onstage during his final concert on July 5.
Instagram/@sharonosbourne
Osbourne, who battled Parkinson's before his death, sat onstage in a black leather chair as he performed for the 42,000-person crowd. He sang five songs by himself, before he was joined by his former bandmates for four Black Sabbath songs.
11 Ozzy Osbourne performs at Villa Park with Black Sabbath.
REUTERS
11 Ozzy Osbourne backstage at his farewell concert.
Ozzy Osbourne/Instagram
Iommi recalled that Osbourne did 'not look well' during rehearsals for the farewell show.
'We didn't want him there every day at rehearsal because it's too much. He just wouldn't be able to stand it,' Iommi explained. 'They'd bring him in, he'd sit down and sing a few songs, and then we'd talk about some rubbish old times, have a laugh, and then he'd go.'
11 Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward of Black Sabbath in 1970.
WireImage
11 Ozzy Osbourne performs in 1974 in Los Angeles.
Michael Ochs Archives
Iommi added that Osbourne was in good spirits after the concert.
'He came around before he was leaving in a wheelchair to say goodbye and have a little chat. He seemed alright, he enjoyed it,' Iommi recalled. 'He said, 'Oh, it went all right, didn't it?' I said, 'Yeah, it did.''
11 Ozzy Osbourne backstage at the 'Back to the Beginning' concert.
Ozzy Osbourne/Instagram
The Prince of Darkness died less than three weeks after his final concert.
'It was a shock for us,' Iommi said of Osbourne's death. 'When I heard yesterday, it couldn't sink in. I thought, 'It can't be.' I only had a text of him the day before. It just seemed unreal … surreal. It really didn't sink in.'
11 Ozzy Osbourne performs at Black Sabbath's farewell concert.
REUTERS
11 Ozzy Osbourne's final Instagram photo was a tribute to Black Sabbath.
ozzyosbourne/Instagram
Iommi added: 'We didn't expect him to go that quick, really. Well, we didn't expect him to go.'
Osbourne's beloved family broke the news of his death on Tuesday.
'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 statement read. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.'
11 Ozzy Osbourne performs at Ozzfest in California in 2016.
Amy Harris/Invision/AP
Black Sabbath reacted to Osbourne's death by sharing a photo of him from the farewell concert, with the caption, 'Ozzy Forever.'
Fittingly, Osbourne's final Instagram post was a touching tribute to Black Sabbath.
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