Ozzy Osbourne sadly passed away earlier this month at the age of 76. “The Prince of Darkness” was less than three weeks removed from the Black Sabbath/Ozzy “Back To The Beginning” concert and farewell, and despite his recent health issues, his passing still came as a bit of a shock to both the metal community and to his Sabbath bandmates.
Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward all paid tribute to Ozzy shortly after his passing and Iommi and Butler have more recently elaborated on their reactions.
Iommi told BBC Midlands: “It’s been difficult, because it’s just a shock, really. I haven’t been able to get myself organized properly since hearing this. It’s been really strange.” Iommi said Butler is also still in a bit of shock. “He’s much the same. You just can’t pull yourself together. It really has affected us bad.”
Tony said that they lost more than their frontman, but also a close friend. “And that is devastating,” Iommi said. “I find it difficult at the moment to really accept that. I still think he’s there. I still go to text him and stuff, but he’s not there anymore. It’s really weird. Really weird. And I think that’s gonna take a long time. ‘Cause it’s like losing a brother.”
Iommi was asked what could serve as a fitting tribute to Ozzy. “I don’t know,” he said. “You know, you could say a statue or a figure. But I think also the band should have something like that. ‘Cause we’ve all been a team, and we’re all gonna go at some point. But I think that’d be the thing — probably a statue. I can’t think what else. I think he’d be happy that everybody remembers him and everybody loves him and everybody’s come out like they have.”
In a separate interview with The Sunday Times, Butler talked about how frail Ozzy looked during rehearsals for “Back To The Beginning.”
“I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was,” Butler said. “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. He didn’t really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair. 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.”
Butler continued: “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. Everyone had come to pay homage to the Prince. I am so privileged to have spent most of my life with him. Of course there are millions of things I will think of that I should have written, but how can I sum up 57 incredible years of friendship in a few paragraphs? God bless, Oz, it has been one hell of a ride! Love you!”
