At 77, Tony Iommi Breaks Silence About Ozzy Osbourne, Fans Are Stunned | HO

On the morning of July 22, 2025, the world woke to a headline that seemed impossible: Ozzy Osbourne, the “Prince of Darkness,” was dead at 76. For half a century, his voice had been the unholy roar that launched heavy metal into the stratosphere.

But it wasn’t just the loss of a rock legend that stunned fans—it was the silence from the man who knew him best. Now, at 77, Tony Iommi has finally spoken—and what he reveals about Ozzy’s final days and their bond has left fans reeling.

The Night That Changed Everything

Ozzy’s death was not the slow, public decline many expected. Just weeks before, he was in the spotlight—literally—at Villa Park Stadium in Birmingham. Seated on a custom leather throne, weakened by years of Parkinson’s disease and spinal surgeries, Ozzy delivered what would become his final, haunting performance. The crowd of 45,000, with millions more watching via livestream, had no idea it was goodbye.

After the show, reports suggested his health was stable. There was even talk of a final recording session. But just days after a private dinner with his oldest friends and bandmates, Ozzy died quietly in his sleep at his Buckinghamshire home, surrounded by his wife Sharon and their children.

The outpouring of grief was immediate and global. Tributes poured in from Metallica, Elton John, and fans who had followed Ozzy from the smoky clubs of Birmingham to the world’s biggest stages.

But one voice was missing: Tony Iommi.

A Final Performance, a Final Goodbye

The July 5, 2025, concert in Birmingham was more than just a show—it was a homecoming, a reckoning, and, for those who understood, a farewell. Billed as “Back to the Beginning,” the event reunited the original Black Sabbath lineup for one last time. Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, joined by a who’s-who of metal royalty—Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, and Pantera—came together for a night that would echo through music history.

Ozzy’s entrance was dramatic. He was helped to his throne, visibly frail but burning with the same fierce energy that had defined his career. His vocals were raw, trembling with emotion, but unmistakably powerful. “He gave everything he had,” Iommi would later say.

The setlist was a journey through their legacy: “War Pigs,” “Iron Man,” and, finally, “Paranoid.” As the last chords rang out, Ozzy’s hand shook as he waved to the crowd, tears in his eyes. There were no pyrotechnics, only the weight of history and the sense that this was truly the end.

Behind the scenes, Ozzy had been adamant: he would perform in Birmingham one last time, no matter what. According to sources close to the band, he told doctors, “I’d rather go out singing in Birmingham than watching from a hospital bed.” The concert raised over 140 million euros for Cure Parkinson’s and Birmingham Children’s Hospital—a final act of generosity from a man who never forgot his roots.

Tony Iommi: The Silence Breaks

For days after Ozzy’s death, fans waited for Tony Iommi to speak. On July 23, he finally did, sitting down with ITV News. His voice was heavy with grief. “It hit me like a ton of bricks,” he said. “There’s never going to be another Ozzy. Geezer, Bill, and myself—we’ve lost our brother.”

What surprised fans most was Iommi’s account of Ozzy’s final days. He revealed that Ozzy had been determined to make his last show in Birmingham a true farewell—not just to the fans, but to the bandmates who had been his family since childhood. “He wanted to go out doing what he loved, where it all started,” Iommi said, his voice breaking.

Iommi described their final moments together as both heartbreaking and strangely peaceful. “He said goodbye in his own way. Quietly. He didn’t want a fuss. He just wanted us to know he loved us, and he loved the fans.”

A Brotherhood Forged in Birmingham

To understand the weight of Iommi’s words, you have to go back to where it all began. Before Black Sabbath, before the fame, Ozzy and Tony were just two working-class kids from Aston, Birmingham. Their friendship began in the corridors of Birchfield Road School, where Ozzy was the class clown and Tony the quiet observer.

Birmingham in the 1960s was a world away from the glamour of rock stardom. It was a city of factories, smoke, and hard times. Most boys were destined for the assembly line, not the stage. But Ozzy and Tony wanted more. Their bond was forged in those early years—over shared dreams, tough teachers, and the unspoken understanding that music could be their ticket out.

Even as their paths diverged—Ozzy the wild one, Tony the serious musician—their connection only grew. “We lived just a few streets apart,” Iommi recalled. “We’d see each other everywhere. Even then, Ozzy had something about him. You couldn’t ignore him.”

The Birth of Black Sabbath

By the early 1970s, that bond had become the backbone of a revolution. With Geezer Butler and Bill Ward, they formed Black Sabbath, creating a sound that was darker, heavier, and more honest than anything the world had heard. Their self-titled debut album in 1970, followed by “Paranoid,” “Master of Reality,” and “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath,” didn’t just sell millions—they invented heavy metal.

But it wasn’t just the music. It was the chemistry. Ozzy’s haunting vocals and Iommi’s thunderous guitar riffs were two halves of a whole. “What we created together was bigger than any one of us,” Iommi once said.

Their rise was meteoric, but so were the struggles. Fame brought pressure, addiction, and conflict. By 1979, after years of excess and exhaustion, the band made the painful decision to part ways with Ozzy. For a time, it seemed the brotherhood had been broken.

Trials, Separation, and Reunion

Ozzy’s departure was a low point for both men. For Ozzy, it meant confronting his demons alone. For Iommi, it meant carrying on the Sabbath name with new singers and new sounds. But the connection between them never truly faded.

As the years passed, both men matured. Old wounds healed. By 2013, the original lineup reunited for the album “13” and a global tour. The magic was still there. “It was more than a return,” Iommi said. “It was a rebirth.”

Their reunion was a triumph, but time was catching up. Ozzy’s health declined, but his spirit never did. Until the very end, he was determined to give fans one last show.

The Final Farewell

Ozzy’s death marked the end of an era, but Tony Iommi’s words made it clear: this was more than the loss of a singer. It was the loss of a brother, a friend, and a piece of himself. “He gave everything he had, and then quietly slipped away,” Iommi said.

What left fans stunned was Iommi’s admission that Ozzy knew his time was short. “He wanted to make peace. He wanted to say goodbye, not just to us, but to the fans. He did it his way—on stage, in Birmingham, where it all began.”

A Legacy That Won’t Fade

For Iommi, Ozzy’s legacy isn’t about record sales or awards. It’s about the moments—the laughter, the chaos, the music that changed the world. “There was one Ozzy, and that’s it,” Iommi said. “He was irreplaceable. Not just for his voice, but for the magic he brought to every room.”

Ozzy’s death is a loss felt far beyond the world of heavy metal. His shadow looms over generations of musicians, from Metallica to Elton John. But for Tony Iommi, the loss is deeply personal—a reminder of the days when two boys from Birmingham dreamed of something bigger, and together, made it real.

As the world mourns, fans take comfort in Iommi’s words: “Ozzy’s gone, but his legacy will never fade. It’ll roar on through every speaker, every fan who turns up the volume and remembers the night the Prince of Darkness took his final bow.”