Ozzy Osbourne was clearly ailing during his and Black Sabbath's farewell concert on July 5, but fans knew he had been dealing with the effects of Parkinson's disease for quite some time. We just assumed that this was another day Ozzy was battling the illness, but we also thought he would find a way to live forever.
Unfortunately, Ozzy Osbourne died at age 76, a little over two weeks after his concert. One might have thought that his death, coming so soon after the show, might have stemmed partly because the heavy metal icon knew he would never perform again.
That is a tough pill for someone who has been making a living for over 50 years doing something they loved. The same as it would be for anyone who did anything that helped define their life. Losing the ability to play music was probably like losing a loved one.
Tony Iommi says what many are thinking about Ozzy Osbourne
Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi echoed this sentiment recently. He told ITV News that even while Ozzy was battling a disease, his death still came as a "shock." He had even received a text from the Prince of Darkness the day before he passed.
Iommi said, "When I heard yesterday, it couldn’t sink in. I thought, ‘It can’t be.’ I only had a text from him the day before. It just seemed unreal, surreal...I think he really just held out to do that show. I really feel – and me and Geezer (Butler) were talking about it last night – that we think he held out to do it, and just after that, he’s done it and said goodbye to the fans. And that was the end of it, really."
Whether Ozzy Osbourne, or anyone, knows they are doing something for the final time, and then they are going to die soon after, is debatable, but it could definitely be true. One would have to assume that losing the ability to perform would affect one's mood, and that might, sadly, lead to one's death who is struggling with a terminal disease.
It says quite a bit that Ozzy was able to perform at all. The show was a farewell to Black Sabbath, of course, but it was rightfully much more about Ozzy Osbourne. The other members of Sabbath, Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler, and drummer Bill Ward, can keep playing as solo projects or in other bands if they wish. Ozzy was not going to be able to do this.
Still, at least fans and the bands who played the Back to the Beginning farewell show will have the lasting memories of what Ozzy was able to do. Not just on July 5, but everything that came before.