Rock and Roll Garage

The Black Sabbath co-founder and guitarist Tony Iommi spoke for the first time, in an interview with ITV News, about the death of his friend and bandmate Ozzy Osbourne. The musician said he was shocked when he first heard the news of Ozzy’s passing and couldn’t believe it, adding that sometimes he asked himself if it was real or just a dream. He also noted that he spoke with Geezer Butler about it, and they felt like Ozzy had waited for their final show to say goodbye to everyone. Ozzy Osbourne had been facing many health issues in recent years, including Parkinson's disease. He was 76. Tony Iommi says he was shocked when he was told Ozzy had died "Yeah, it was a shock for us. I mean, when I heard yesterday, it couldn't sink in. I thought, 'It can't be.' I only had a text from him the day before. It just seemed unreal, surreal. And it really didn't sink in. And in the night I started thinking about it: 'God, am I dreaming all this?' But as I said before, he's not looked well through the rehearsals. And I think he really just held out to do that show. I really feel, and me and Geezer were talking about it last night, that we think he held out to do it, and just after that, he's done it and said goodbye to the fans. And that was the end of it, really," he said (Transcribed by Blabbermouth). "Oh, he's built up for it for a while now (For the show). He's been sort of training and trying to do what he can, so he could do this gig, so he could do it. And that's really what he wanted to do. I think he must have had something in his head that said, 'Well, this is gonna be it, the last thing I'm ever gonna do.' Whether he thought he was gonna die or what, I don't know. But he really wanted to do it and he was determined to do it. And fair dues, he'd done it." It wasn't easy for Ozzy to do that last show "It was really moving, I think. We all felt like, 'Wow.' And again, it was almost like a dream. Before you know it, we're off stage. And (we were thinking), 'What happened?' Well (after the show), he went to his dressing room and I went to mine and Geez went to his and so on. And then he came over. He came around before he was leaving on a wheelchair that brought him in to say goodbye and have a little chat for a bit. And he seemed all right. He enjoyed it. And he said, 'Oh, it went all right, didn't it?'" "I said, 'Yeah, it did.' But as I say, when I had the text off him the day before yesterday saying he's tired and he's really got no energy. And I thought, 'Oh, dear.' 'Cause it's a lot for him to do that under the problems he's got. And we could see it in rehearsal. We didn't want him there every day at rehearsal, because it's too much. He just wouldn't be able to stand it. So they'd bring him in and he'd sit down and sing a few songs, and then we'd talk about some rubbish old times or whatever, have a laugh, and then he'd go." "But the gig was for him, really, and for us to say goodbye, 'cause also Sabbath saying goodbye; it was the end of the band, and we'll never do that again. And to have Bill with us as well after all these years, after 20 years of not playing with Bill. I can't believe it's 20 years, to be honest." Tony Iommi continued: "I think (Ozzy) was moved and frustrated as well (during the show performing on a throne), 'cause he wanted to stand up. You could see he was trying to get up. But yeah, it meant everything to him. This is what we built up for, for that big ending where he could see all the people and we could all see all the people, and close it in that way. But we didn't expect to close it so quick with Ozz; we didn't expect him to go that quick, really. Well, we didn't expect him to go. So it's been a shock." "I'm really glad we did it, 'cause it was a final thing for everybody. And I think if we hadn't done it, people couldn't have seen the band and Ozzy. It would've been a shame. But they've got a chance to see us all and see Ozz for the last time in that situation." How he will remember Ozzy "God, we go back so many years. I knew Ozzy before everybody, 'cause we went to the same school. He was always funny. Ozzy was Ozzy. There's never gonna be another Ozzy. He's the only one — one Ozzy and that's it. Just a special person, just the way he is. He says what he thinks. Many times we said to him, 'Now, don't get saying anything.' And, of course, he does. But it was funny." "It really was funny. He did do some funny antics. And we did have a laugh on stage. As much as we were serious about the music, we'd always have this thing, and Ozz would always come over to me and pull faces. Of course, the audience couldn't see that, and he'd be pulling all these funny faces, and I'd just crack up. Then he'd go over to Geezer and do the same. He was just that sort of person. He was a showman." "He had a special way, and that was it. There's not another Ozzy. And his antics and everything — we never knew what he was gonna do in all the years we've known him. So it was all a bit of a thing, 'I wonder what he's gonna do now,'" Tony Iommi said. The final show, "Back to the Beginning" happened only a few weeks ago, July 5, at the Villa Park in Birmingham, the band's hometown. It became the highest-grossing charity concert ever. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD3jeUq7sm0

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