Marilyn Manson sparked controversy as he appeared at Black Sabbath’s Back to The Beginning farewell concert on Saturday night.
The rock star, 56, featured in a video message as the concert got underway and paid tribute to his ‘friend’ Ozzy Osbourne on his final ever show.
In the pre-recorded message, he gushed: ‘It is a great honour to be here in this video and I’d like to say congratulations and I love you very much Ozzy,’ according to footage shared online.
However, his inclusion left some fans unimpressed after his upcoming gig at Brighton Centre in October was cancelled after pressure from campaigners.
Manson, whose legal name is Brian Warner, was accused by a dozen women of sex abuse, rape, and torture. He has vehemently denied all the allegations.
In January, US prosecutors announced that they would not be pursuing charges against Marilyn following a four-year investigation due to lack of sufficient evidence.
Marilyn Manson (pictured in December 2019) sparked controversy as he appeared at Black Sabbath’s farewell concert on Saturday night
Ozzy Osbourne (pictured in October) is taking to the stage for his final ever performance with Black Sabbath amid his ailing health in a momentous occasion
Despite this, some fans were still unimpressed by Manson’s video message airing at Villa Park and took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their fury.
Comments included: ‘F*** Marilyn Manson, he’s a piece of s***’; ‘Ew Marilyn Manson go away’;
‘Disgraceful that he is on this otherwise outstanding Black Sabbath show’; Marilyn Manson speaking at the Black Sabbath farewell concert?’;
‘Marilyn Manson on the Black Sabbath stream f*** off.’
MailOnline has contacted Marilyn’s representatives for comment.
Manson has previously described Ozzy and Black Sabbath as his biggest inspiration and they have performed together during various tours over the years.
Ozzy is performing at his final ever live show on Saturday night amid his ailing health and the show – which also features performances from other major rock bands – is also being aired via an online stream.
Last month, it emerged that Manson’s concert in Brighton on October 29 – the first show in his UK tour – had been cancelled after a public backlash.
The rock star, 56, featured in a video message as the concert got underway and paid tribute to his ‘friend’ Ozzy on his final ever show, footage shared to social media showed
Some fans were unimpressed by Manson’s video message airing at Villa Park and took to X – formerly known as Twitter – to share their fury
Ozzy is performing at his final ever live show on Saturday night amid his ailing health and the show features performances from other major bands, including Anthrax (pictured at the gig)
Fans received a message from Ticketmaster informing that that ‘this event has been cancelled’ and the show was also removed from Manson’s website.
Instead, Manson’s tour, titled One Assassination Under God – Chapter 1, will now begin in Bournemouth on October 31, followed by another four UK dates.
The cancellation followed an open letter to Brighton and Hove City Council calling for the concert to be axed.
In the letter, Green Party MP Sian Berry wrote: ‘Many survivors in Brighton and Hove, and organisations supporting them, will have serious concerns about this booking and its wider impact on other people visiting the city centre, local residents and the wider community.’
The letter was co-signed by the University of Sussex’s students’ union and some victim support groups.
‘The council has a responsibility to take action where there are risks of discrimination, harassment and victimisation,’ Berry added.
According to The Guardian, Manson’s supporters argued that the decision infringed on freedom of speech given the singer has not been found guilty of allegations against him.
In January, Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced that his office would not be pursuing charges against Manson.
He said: ‘We have determined that allegations of domestic violence fall outside of the statute of limitations and we cannot prove charges of sexual assault beyond a reasonable doubt.
Manson (pictured in September 2023), whose legal name is Brian Warner, was accused by a dozen women of sex abuse, rape, and torture. He has vehemently denied all the allegations
‘We recognize and applaud the courage and resilience of the women who came forward to make reports and share their experiences, and we thank them for their cooperation and patience with the investigation.
‘While we are unable to bring charges in this matter, we recognize that the strong advocacy of the women involved has helped bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault.’
Howard King, Brian Warner’s attorney, told DailyMail.com in a statement: ‘We are very pleased that, after a thorough and incredibly lengthy review of all of the actual evidence, the District Attorney has concluded what we knew and expressed from the start – Brian Warner is innocent.’
Manson settled lawsuits by two women including Game of Thrones actress Esme Bianco in 2023.
Bianco spoke out after the announcement, saying she was ‘deeply disappointed but not surprised’.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department investigated Manson for 19 months before turning its evidence over to prosecutors in 2022.
His ex-girlfriend, actress Evan Rachel Wood, also accused him of sex crimes but never filed a lawsuit, with Manson vehemently denying all accusations.
His ex-girlfriend, actress Evan Rachel Wood (pictured together in 2006), also accused him of sex crimes but never filed a lawsuit, with Manson vehemently denying all accusations
Manson filed a defamation lawsuit against Wood and her friend, Illma Gore, over what he called ‘malicious’ and ‘false’ sexual abuse allegations which ‘derailed his successful music, TV and film career’.
In March 2022, Manson filed the suit against the Westworld actress prior to the release of her HBO documentary Phoenix Rising: Don’t Fall.
In the two-part documentary, Wood said Manson, who she was engaged to at one point, sexually assaulted and emotionally abused her during the time they were in a relationship from 2006 until 2010.
Manson subsequently faced further allegations of abuse from more than 12 women after the documentary aired.
A judge threw out parts of Manson’s lawsuit in August of last year, and Manson then dropped the case in November.
