Emotional Ozzy Osbourne said goodbye to fans at his ‘final encore’ just weeks before his death aged 76.
The Black Sabbath frontman performed to thousands of fans at his final gig at Birmingham‘s Villa Park on July 5 as he reunited with his bandmates – Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward – one last time.
Ozzy was supported by rock legends, his wife Sharon and witnessed his daughter Kelly’s engagement at the show.
Ozzy closed out his final ever live performance with some emotional words in his hometown, Birmingham – where Black Sabbath formed some 56 years ago.
Ozzy said: ‘It’s the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.’
A message on screen then read: ‘Thank you for everything, you guys are f***ing amazing. Birmingham Forever,’ before the sky lit up with fireworks.
Emotional Ozzy Osbourne said goodbye to fans at his ‘final encore’ just weeks before his death aged 76
Ozzy was supported by rock legends, his wife Sharon and witnessed his daughter Kelly’s engagement
The band’s final performance was overwhelming for frontman Ozzy, who repeatedly thanked fans for their ongoing support over his five decades in the music industry.
As the 42,000-strong crowd cheered him on, Ozzy admitted at one point: ‘You have no idea how I feel.’
The night was even more special as Ozzy’s daughter Kelly got engaged after her now fiancé Sid Wilson got down on one knee back stage.
Sid, 48, who is the DJ for Slipknot, got down on one knee to propose to Kelly with an 18K yellow gold ring adorned with white and yellow diamonds, as well as citrine accents.
Looking happier than ever, the couple, who share son Sidney, two, shared the sweet moment with their fans on social media as their closest friends and family watched on.
The couple began dating in 2022 and welcomed their son Sidney in November 2023.
Ozzy died ‘surrounded by love’ at the age of 76, a statement from his family said.
The Osbourne family said in a statement: ‘It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning.
Ozzy, who has also been battling Parkinson’s disease since 2003, had some poignant words for Villa Park as he brought the show to an emotional close in his hometown, Birmingham
The rocker reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for their first performance in their original line-up since 2005 (pictured that year)
‘He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis.’
Ozzy revealed earlier this year that he could no longer walk amid his years-long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
However, he still managed to reunite with his bandmates Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward for their final gig earlier this month.
Amid his ailing health, Ozzy admitted he was unsure whether to perform standing up or sitting down following a series of spinal operations.
The singer was in strict training, which even sees his blood pressure being taken 15 times a day.
He explained: ‘I have got this trainer guy who helps people get back to normal. It’s hard going, but he’s convinced that he can pull it off for me. I’m giving it everything I’ve got.
‘It’s endurance. The first thing that goes when you’re laid up is your stamina.
‘I am having my blood pressure taken 15 times a day.. I’ve got this f***ing device on my finger. It’s a monitor to say how my heart rate is.’
Ozzy vowed to do the ‘best he can’ during his final show after his string of health concerns in recent years.
Ozzy (pictured in 2014) has undergone seven surgeries in the past five years, including a fourth spinal operation in September 2023, and has been battling Parkinson’s disease
Osbourne with daughters Kelly and Aimee, wife Sharon and son Jack in 2002 – the year that the family’s show The Osbournes began
The star was a titan of music who somehow survived controversies that would end the careers of many others, and weathered health problems that would leave most of us on our backs.
The death of the man who invented headbanging ends the final chapter of a life that was marked by both dizzying success and fame but also scandal, abuse and even prison time.
The singer, who sold more than 100 million records, will forever be synonymous with the heavy metal band he formed in his home city.
With hits that included Iron Man, War Pigs and Paranoid, Black Sabbath’s pushing of occult themes proved both hugely popular and controversial, with a future pope even condemning Osbourne for his ‘subliminal satanic influence’.
Ozzy was born John Michael Osbourne in Birmingham in 1948, and dropped out of school at the age of 15.
After serving two months in prison for burglary, he decided to pursue his love of music and by 1970 Black Sabbath had gained a huge following in the US and UK with the release of their first album.
Black Sabbath’s solo tour – The End – saw them perform in locations across the world. Above: Osbourne with Butler, Iommi and Tommy Clufetos, who filled in for original drummer Ward
The band’s farewell tour – titled The End – was brought to a close with a performance in Birmingham in 2017. Above: The cover of the band’s last album, 13
After Black Sabbath carried out their final tour, Osbourne continued performing as a solo act, with his most recent album release, Ordinary Man, coming in February 2020. Above: The singer on stage at the American Music Awards in 2019
Ozzy quit the band in 1978 and divorced his first wife Thelma Mayfair, who he had two children with, four years later, amid his ongoing substance abuse problems.
He went on to marry second wife Sharon Osbourne, who helped him transform into a successful solo artist and the couple had three children together.
Ozzy gained a whole new audience of fans with the family’s reality TV show The Osbournes in 2001.
He is survived by his wife Sharon and his five children, Jessica, Louis, Aimee, Kelly and Jack.
