What we know about Black Sabbath's final gig with Ozzy Osbourne
The heavy metal star, 76, will rock Birmingham's Villa Park on 5 July, as part of an all-day event called 'Back to the Beginning'. He will deliver his own solo set before playing together with bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for the first time in 20 years.
Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who will serve as the gig's musical director and one of the support acts, said it would be "the greatest heavy metal show ever". But what else can fans expect? Here's everything you need to know about the concert, including how to get tickets.
Buy Black Sabbath tickets
Tickets for Black Sabbath's farewell show will go on sale via Ticketmaster at 10am on Friday, 14 February.
The gig will take place on 5 July at Villa Park in Birmingham, the city where the music pioneers formed in 1968. Villa Park is the home ground of Osbourne's favourite football team, Aston Villa.
All profits will go to charities including Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice, which is supported by Aston Villa.
Black Sabbath played their "last" gig in 2017 in Birmingham with Osbourne, guitarist Iommi and bassist Butler, but without Ward on drums.
In a statement, Osbourne said: "It's my time to go back to the beginning… time for me to give back to the place where I was born. How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham forever."
The singer first planned to retire from live performing in 1992, when he embarked on a tour dubbed No More Tours. He later reversed his decision.
But Osbourne is now bowing out for good following several health issues, including a near-fatal quad bike crash in 2003.
The singer's injuries were aggravated by a fall at home in 2019, forcing him to cut short his second farewell tour, No More Tours 2. The tour had previously been rescheduled several times because of illness, the Covid pandemic and logistical issues.
In 2020, Osbourne revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and he paused touring "for now" in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery.
His most recent UK performance came during a surprise appearance at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in his hometown in 2022.
Osbourne formed the metal group in 1968 while looking to escape a life of factory work. Their self-titled debut album in 1970 made the UK top 10 and paved the way for hit singles including Paranoid, War Pigs and Iron Man.
They went on to sell more than 75 million albums worldwide, and have been credited with influencing generations of rock and metal acts. Their final LP, 13, was released in 2013, but Rage Against the Machine drummer Brad Wilk filled in for Ward.
The group were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, and Osbourne was added for a second time last year.
The frontman rose to further fame alongside his wife Sharon, who he married in 1982, through their reality TV series The Osbournes. The couple have three children, Aimee, Jack and Kelly.
Sharon told the BBC: "Ozzy didn't have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there's been no full stop. This is his full stop."
Many major bands will serve as Black Sabbath's support acts, including Metallica, Slayer and Alice in Chains. The event will also see performances by Pantera, Gojira, Halestorm, Lamb of God, Anthrax and Mastodon.
Other musicians on the line-up include Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan, Guns N' Roses' Duff McKagan and Slash, Limp Bizkit singer Fred Durst, Halestorm's Lzzy Hale and Rage Against the Machine star Tom Morello.
They will be joined by the following stars:
Anthrax's Frank Bello and Scott Ian
Disturbed's David Draiman
Korn's Jonathan Davis
Faith No More's Mike Bordin
Ghost's Papa V Perpetua
Guitarist Jake E Lee
Judas Priest's KK Downing
Bassist Rudy Sarzo
Guitarist Sammy Hagar
Wolfgang Van Halen
Zakk Wylde
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Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning gig will take place on 5 July
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