Black Sabbath Bassist Recalls Seeing ‘Frail’ Ozzy Osbourne at Final Rehearsal

Bassist Geezer Butler is recalling the leadup to Black Sabbath’s final concert before bandmate Ozzy Osbourne’s death.

“The rehearsals for that final show started a month before [the concert] at a studio in the Oxfordshire countryside,” Butler, 76, wrote in a Sunday, July 27, essay for The Sunday Times. “Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and I ran through seven songs together. Of course, not having played together for 20 years, it took a couple of days to get rid of the rust.”

He continued, “Then it was time for Ozzy to join us. 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.”

Butler claimed that Osbourne “didn’t really say much beyond the usual greetings” and sang while sitting in a chair.

Ozzy Osbourne ‘Held Out’ for Last Black Sabbath Gig Before Death: Bandmate

“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,” Butler said. “After a couple more weeks we were ready for the show.”

Butler noted that he’s “so grateful” Black Sabbath was able to perform one last time on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. Weeks later, news broke that Osbourne died at age 71 after a battle with Parkinson’s disease.

“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 on Tuesday, July 22. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”

One day later, Iommi, 77, told ITV News that he believes Osbourne “held out to do that show” on July 5.

Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Sabbath Bandmates Break Silence After His Death

“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,” the Black Sabbath guitarist told the outlet on Wednesday, July 23.

Iommi continued, “I think he must have had something in his head that said, ‘Well, this is going to be it, the last thing I’m ever gonna do.’ Whether he thought he was going to die or what, I don’t know. But he really wanted to do it, he was determined to do it. Fair dues, he’d done it.”

While Iommi claimed that Osbourne didn’t look well during the rehearsals, his bandmate’s death still came as a “shock.”

“We didn’t want him there every day at rehearsal because it’s too much. He just wouldn’t be able to stand it,” Iommi said. “They’d bring him in, he’d sit down and sing a few songs, and then we’d talk about some rubbish old times, have a laugh, and then he’d go.”