He went out like a rock star, as he should. Music icon Ozzy Osbourne became sadly passed away at 76-years old on July 22nd, 2025, and the rock legend and heavy metal pioneer, also known as the Prince of Darkness, reunited with the original members of Black Sabbath just two weeks before his death for the first time in two decades for his final show in Birmingham, England.
He had tons of special guests from the rock world also perform, and of course he came out in a bat chair… but the iconic rocker was seated throughout the show, as he revealed back in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.
He told fans before playing their final song that their support has meant the world to him, and he thanked them from the bottom of his heart for everything, and he was joined onstage alongside original Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, drummer Bill Ward and guitarist Tony Iommi:
“Your support over the years has made it all possible for us to live the lifestyle we live. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you. We love you.”
It was a very different side of the man who has been known more as a larger-than-life, rock and roll icon. No doubt about it, he worked hard and played harder, fully embodying that cliche “sex, drugs and rock ‘n roll” lifestyle. But possibly the most emotional moment was when he delivered an extremely emotional rendition of “Mama I’m Coming Home,” which was inspired by his longtime wife, Sharon.
That video still lives rent free in my head…
@matheusmelosil #ozzyosbourne #backtothebeginning #blacksabbath #rocknroll #fyp #fyppp #foryoupage #villapark #lasttime ♬ som original – Matheus Melo
Of course, Sharon and Ozzy were married for decades, tying the knot on July 4th, 1982. She went through hell and back with him, many times over, but it’s clear how much she loved and adored him despite his flaws and years where he was unfaithful to her.
The last six months or so of his life was very hard for his family, and Sharon opened up to Bunnie Xo on her Dumb Blonde podcast about what it was like, specifically explaining why it was so important to do that final show, regardless of knowing he could die at anytime. He wanted to go out like a rock star, and he did:
“Two weeks before the show, they said he could probably die, and he did. But he wanted to do it so bad. And he needed it. And it’s like, ‘Whether I die in two weeks or whether I die in six months, I’m still dying. And I want to go my way.’ And he did, You know, he went like a rock star.
It’s kind of bittersweet because, again, we knew… Ozzy had sepsis earlier on last year, and very few people ever walk away from that without losing a limb or their life.”
Sharon described the sepsis scare as a “nightmare,” as you can imagine, and she knew from then on the time was very precious and he didn’t have much longer. But Ozzy insisted he do his final show, and knowing that his time was limited, it made it all that much more special:
“It’s a nightmare, and as soon as he got sepsis, the kids and I, we knew it was time. And then when we went to England, he went into hospital for a week, and when he came out they said, ‘You know, Ozzy, this could kill you.’
And he said, ‘I’m doing my show.’ I mean, he went out like a king. I mean, the thing is, when you’ve lived your life that way, and it was like, okay, six months more to go out the way I want to go out.
It’s like saying, when you get really old and somebody is still smoke, they’re like 78-years of age and you’re like, just let them smoke. Just leave them alone… he went the way he wanted to go. He knew. He knew.”
Sharon understandably teared up when talking about Ozzy’s death, saying she knew he “was done,” and told the medics not to revive him:
“It was so quick, and thank God. And I knew when they were trying to revive him, I knew. I’m like, don’t, don’t do it. Leave him. He was done.”
He lived an incredible life, to say the very least, and he left a mark on generations of fans all over the world. His music will certainly live on and his life story itself is inspiring considering what he came from to becoming one of the most famous musicians of all-time. Osbourne was born in Birmingham, England, to a factory worker mother and toolmaker father. He in and his five siblings in a two-bedroom house in Aston, and Osbourne has spoken before about the intense bullying, and worse, he endured in school.
He left school at 15, working in a car factory and slaughterhouse before ultimately forming Rare Breed in late 1967 with Geezer Butler. Not long after in 1968, they, along with Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, officially started Black Sabbath. The rest, as they say, is history, but it’s not just music that people think of when they hear his name.
From the infamous bat story, to the many stories about things he’s done to his longtime wife Sharon Osbourne, the lore about him is beyond belief, and as pretty much everyone knows, he had a very bad drug problem for most of his life. I’ll be honest, the first real memories of him I have were watching the reality show The Osbourne’s, which aired on MTV from 2002 to 2005. Obviously, he was a dad to teenagers at this time and not quite the young rock and roller he once was, and I found him so incredibly funny and endearing.
He was far from perfect, but beloved by so many music lovers around the world, and even when he went solo, he continued to build his legacy as one of the absolute greatest to ever do it.
He knew who he was, he never thought about “going country” like so many others, and it’s heartbreaking to hear Sharon talk about the end of his life, though she’s incredibly honest about it and it’s a great watch.
