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Ozzy Osbourne found an unforgettable way to rock and roll weeks before his death.
The musician took the stage one final time with Black Sabbath at the Back to the Beginning festival in Birmingham, England, on July 5.
More than 45,000 people filled Birmingham’s Villa Park soccer stadium for the special event, with another 5.8 million watching online.
During his headlining performance, Osbourne delivered a five-song solo set — including classic tracks “Mr. Crowley” and “Crazy Train” — before being joined by original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for four more songs to finish the night.
“It’s so good to be on this f***ing stage, you have no idea,” Osbourne told his fans. “Let the madness begin!”
In a May interview with The Guardian, Ozzy revealed that the show was his wife Sharon Osbourne’s idea because it was “something to give me a reason to get up in the morning.”
According to Billboard, the concert event raised more $190 million, and funds will be distributed equally to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s — an organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease Ozzy had lived with since 2019.
On Tuesday, July 22, news broke that Ozzy had died following a battle with Parkinson’s. He was 76.
“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,” Osbourne’s family shared in a statement to Us Weekly. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Less than two weeks before Ozzy’s death, his daughter Kelly Osbourne tried to set the record straight about her dad’s health.
On July 14, Kelly, 40, said her father “is not dying,” adding, “Yes, he has Parkinson’s, and yes, his mobility is completely different than it used to be, but he’s not dying.”
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Despite the rumors surrounding Ozzy’s health, family members expressed how special it was to see their rockstar family member perform on stage one final time.
“For everything I learned along the way…the final Good Night We Love You All,” Jack Osbourne wrote via Instagram on July 5.
In a separate Instagram Story, Kelly wrote, “I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who came to the show last night, [and] thank you to everybody who was involved in the show last night. You have no idea what it did for my dad. It was one of the most magical experiences of my entire life, and if I keep talking, I’m probably going to end up crying again. So, that’s all I’ll say for now. Thank you.”
English (US) ·