Ozzy Osbourne Takes a Final Bow

Ailing Black Sabbath frontman plays his last show
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 6, 2025 7:00 AM CDT
The Madness Begins One Last Time for Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne performs during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony at the Alexander stadium in Birmingham, England, Monday, Aug. 8, 2022.   (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, File)

Hard-rock royalty and some 40,000 fans gathered for an ear-splitting tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at what the heavy metal icon says was his last-ever live performance. The original lineup of Osbourne's band Black Sabbath performed at Villa Park soccer stadium in their home city of Birmingham, central England, on Saturday. "Let the madness begin!" Osbourne urged. The 76-year-old singer, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, sang from a black throne that rose up from under the stage and "from which he does not stir." reports the Guardian, which continues: "During 'Coming Home,' his struggle with pitch is both painful and moving: he seems on the brink of tears as the crowd carry him home, but brings everything back with a triumphant 'Crazy Train.'"

"I don't know what to say, man, I've been laid up for like six years. You have no idea how I feel—thank you from the bottom of my heart," Osbourne said, per the AP. "You're all … special. Let's go crazy, come on." Osbourne performed several songs solo before being joined onstage, for the first time in 20 years, by Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Terence "Geezer" Butler, and Bill Ward. The band ended a short set with "Paranoid," one of its most famous songs.

It capped a day-long metal festival that included performances from the likes of Anthrax, Metallica, and Guns N'Roses. The New York Times notes each act performed at least one Sabbath or Osbourne cover song. Artists who sent plaudits and well-wishes included Jack Black, Dolly Parton, and Elton John. "You are one of the most remarkable singers of our time," John said. "You are the king, you are the legend." Per the Times, gratitude was the night's unofficial theme. "I've got to tell you how beautiful this is, because no matter what kind of madness and division is going on outside these walls, in here, it's really simple," Alice in Chains singer William DuVall said to the crowd. "We're all just a bunch of headbanging, riff-loving freaks."

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Osbourne formed Black Sabbath in 1968 in Birmingham, a city then known for its heavy industry that became the crucible of the British metal scene. Black Sabbath's devil imagery and thunderous sound made them one of the era's most influential—and parent-scaring—metal acts. Both the band and Osbourne as a solo artist have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Osbourne's fame expanded into the mainstream in the early 2000s, when he joined his wife Sharon Osbourne, and two of their children in the MTV reality TV show The Osbournes. He has struggled with health issues since 2003 following a near-fatal quad bike crash.

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