Black Sabbath Guitarist Remembers Ozzy Osbourne's Emotional Final Performance

A Lasting Friendship and Bittersweet Farewell

Just weeks after the final performance of Black Sabbath, Terence "Geezer" Butler found himself in a moment of quiet reflection, far removed from the roaring crowds and electric energy of the stage. On July 22, the world learned of the passing of Ozzy Osbourne, the band’s iconic frontman and Terence’s lifelong friend. The news came as a profound loss, marking the end of an era that had spanned nearly six decades.

In a heartfelt essay for The Sunday Times, Terence, now 76, shared a deeply personal account of their 57-year friendship, reflecting on the journey from their early days in Birmingham to the bittersweet farewell at Villa Park. For both men, the stadium held special significance long before it became the site of Black Sabbath’s final concert on July 5, 2024. As children growing up in the industrial heart of the city, they had often passed by the home of Aston Villa Football Club, unaware of the role it would play in their future.

In 2024, Aston Villa invited them back for an advertising campaign, a reunion that rekindled a connection Terence thought had faded. “Prior to the spot, I hadn’t seen or spoken to Ozzy since The End tour in 2017,” he wrote. “So it was quite fitting, for Ozzy and Black Sabbath to end the long journey from our beginning in 1968 to our final show back in Aston at Villa Park.” Yet, the evening carried an unexpected weight. “I didn’t realize then that I would never see Ozzy again after that night.”

Rehearsals for the final concert began a month before the event, with Terence, guitarist Tony Iommi, and drummer Bill Ward laying the groundwork. When Ozzy finally joined them, Terence knew his friend’s health was fragile. “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.” Ozzy sang while seated in a chair, and the rehearsals proved exhausting. “We ran through the songs, but we could see 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.”

On the night of the final performance, the band faced an unexpected challenge. Traditionally, the group would gather center-stage, arms around one another, and bow together. Instead, Ozzy remained on his ceremonial throne, and the surviving trio—Butler, Iommi, and Ward—paused in mid-cheer. Iommi reached across to shake Ozzy’s hand, and Terence ceremonially presented him with a cake. “It was such a strange feeling to end our story like that,” Terence wrote. He wished he’d had more time backstage, but indicated that in typical Osbourne fashion, life’s ironies run deep. “As Ozzy used to say: ‘Wish in one hand and shit in the other and see which comes first.’”

Terence’s essay also revisits a quieter moment in 1967, when the nascent band, then called Earth, took its first steps. He remembers a youth filled with simplicity and few pretensions. One day, Ozzy turned up unannounced at Butler’s family home, barefoot and grinning. Without hesitation, Terence told him, “Okay, you’re in the band.” With Iommi, then 77, and Ward, now 77, the four formed an unbreakable bond. “We became inseparable brothers in arms…We always looked out for each other. There was always an invisible link between Ozzy, Tony, Bill and me.”

Their friendship was built on trust, loyalty, and a shared passion for music that transcended time. Even in the face of loss, Terence’s reflections serve as a tribute to the enduring legacy of Ozzy Osbourne and the bonds forged in the early days of Black Sabbath.