The final show of the cult band Black Sabbath was just a few weeks ago, and now their legendary frontman Ozzy Osbourne has died at the age of 76. His family confirmed the grief. This is a consolation for millions of music fans around the world: Ozzy didn't leave without a proper farewell. He had only celebrated with an emotional finale with Black Sabbath on July 5th of this year, where it all began.
In their founding city of Birmingham (Great Britain), the former band performed together for the last time, supported by numerous rock and metal greats. Around 40,000 people watched Ozzy's farewell at the Villa Park football stadium. It was broadcast worldwide: tickets for the concert sold out in 16 minutes. Osbourne, who suffered from Parkinson's disease (he went public with this in 2020) and numerous other health issues, had officially announced the appearance as his final.
The 76-year-old, known for his decades of excessive drug use, among other things, performed the concert sitting on a black throne: in the video below, he plays "Paranoid" for the last time. His most famous songs also include "Iron Man" and "War Pigs." "I lay there for six fucking years." "I don't know what to say," Osbourne shouted to his fans. "I lay there for six fucking years. You can't imagine how I feel," he said, visibly emotional, before playing "Mama, I'm Coming Home."
Many fans in the stadium could be seen with tears in their eyes. Black Sabbath, especially guitarist Tony Iommi, are considered the inventors of heavy metal, which developed from hard rock, blues rock, and psychedelic rock in the early 1980s. Many believe that Osbourne, along with Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister, was the first true "metalhead." Ozzy died surrounded by his family "and surrounded by love," his family said in a brief statement Tuesday night. One is "in more pain than words can express."
