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Tony Iommi<\/a> said he believed Ozzy Osbourne<\/a> had clung to life to play his farewell show.<\/p>\n The Black Sabbath<\/a> singer died<\/a> on July 22 at age 76, after the band\u2019s Back to the Beginning<\/a> event earlier in the month. He\u2019d been fighting ill health for several years.<\/p>\n In an interview with the UK\u2019s ITV network, Iommi \u2013 clearly emotional \u2013 said it had still been a shock to him when Osbourne passed.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Here\u2019s What You Didn\u2019t See on Black Sabbath’s Reunion Livestream<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cI only had a text from him the day before,\u201d the guitarist explained. \u201cIt just seemed unreal \u2013 surreal. \u2026 In the night, I started thinking, \u2018God, am I dreaming all this?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n He added that Osbourne had \u201cnot looked well through the rehearsals,\u201d and continued, \u201cI think he really just held out to do that show. \u2026 Me and Geezer<\/a> were talking about it last night \u2026 we think he held out to do it. And just after that, he\u2019s done it and said goodbye to the fans.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he must have had something in his head that said, \u2018Well, this is gonna be it, the last thing I\u2019m ever gonna do.\u2019 Whether he thought he was gonna die or what, I don\u2019t know. But he really wanted to do it, and he was determined to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch Tony Iommi\u2019s ITV Interview<\/strong><\/p>\n Turning to rehearsals for the final show, Iommi said, \u201cWe didn\u2019t want him there every day \u2026 He just wouldn\u2019t be able to stand it. So they\u2019d bring him in and he\u2019d sit down and sing a few songs, and then we\u2019d talk about some rubbish \u2013 old times or whatever \u2013 have a laugh, and then he\u2019d go.\u201d<\/p>\n He speculated that the performance was frustrating for Osbourne, who had to perform from a throne. \u201cHe wanted to stand up \u2013 you could see he was trying to get up,\u201d the guitarist said.<\/p>\n After the show, the band members, including drummer Bill Ward<\/a>, went to their\u00a0separate dressing rooms. \u201cAnd then [Osbourne] came over; he came around before he was leaving on a wheelchair. They brought him in to say goodbye and have a little chat for a bit. And he seemed all right \u2013 he enjoyed it, and he said, \u2018Oh, it went all right, didn\u2019t it?\u2019 I said, \u2018Yeah, it did.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Iommi revealed that Osbourne had texted him hours before his death, \u201csaying he\u2019s tired and he\u2019s really got no energy.\u201d He continued, \u201cAnd I thought, \u2018Oh, dear \u2026 \u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Confirming the show was \u201cthe end of the band, and we\u2019ll never do it again,\u201d he asserted: \u201cIt 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.<\/p>\n \u201cBut we didn\u2019t expect to close it so quick with Ozz. We didn\u2019t expect him to go that quick, really. Well, we didn\u2019t expect him to go. So it\u2019s been a shock.”<\/p>\n Between Black Sabbath and his solo career, Ozzy Osbourne became one of the most famous frontmen in hard rock history. Here’s a look back.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nOzzy Osbourne\u2019s Last Text to Tony Iommi<\/h3>\n
Ozzy Osbourne Year by Year Photos: 1969-2025<\/h2>\n