Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler has opened up on his last moments with Ozzy Osbourne, before his tragic death aged 76.
The rock and roll legend, who had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019, passed away 'surrounded by love' on 22 July, with a statement from his wife of 43 years, Sharon Osbourne, and four of his children, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and Louis, reading: "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.
"He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time."
And since then, the tributes have been pouring in for the Birmingham-born star, from fans and celebrities alike.
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One of the most heartfelt comes from none other than his bandmate Butler, who penned an essay in The Sunday Times yesterday (27 July) about their ‘57 incredible years of friendship’.
As well as reflecting on the band’s formation, he went into detail about their farewell concert, which took place earlier this month on 5 July.
The show took place at Villa Park in the band's hometown of Birmingham, with Osbourne seated on a black throne and 40,000 fans watching.
The group split the profits from the gig between Birmingham Children's Hospital, Acorns Children's Hospice, and the Cure Parkinson's charity.
In his article, Butler talked about the rehearsals before the gig and what was going through his mind when he saw Osbourne for the first time in a while.
The bassist admitted: “I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was. He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane - being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones."
He continued to say that Ozzy 'didn't really say much beyond the usual greetings', and when they ran through the songs, it was clear 'it was exhausting him after six or seven songs'.
“We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old.” he said.
Speaking of the Villa Park concert, which was just a stone's throw away from where the band was first created, Butler added: “I didn’t realise then that I would never see Ozzy again after that night.”
Elsewhere, he reminisced on the ‘most incredible journey of their lives’ after they formed Black Sabbath in 1968 alongside guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward.
Butler concluded his essay by saying he was 'grateful' that they got to play together 'one last time', adding: "God bless, Oz, it has been one hell of a ride! Love you!"
Meanwhile, speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today on Wednesday (23 July) a day after Osbourne's death, fellow bandmate Iommi also shared a similar sentiment, as he said he was 'so glad' that the band were able to perform together at the farewell show.
"He loved what he did, he loved music, he loved playing together, and I'm so glad we had the opportunity of getting together again to do the [farewell] show." Iommi said.
"It was brilliant being with all the guys again, and the atmosphere, and it was brilliant for Ozzy because he really wanted to do that, he felt at home there and it was good for all of us."
Topics: Ozzy Osbourne, Music, Celebrity, News
Madison Burgess