Ozzy Osbourne’s Black Sabbath bandmates say they are ‘heartbroken’ after the death of the rock icon – who had one final act of heroism and charity, just two weeks before his death
Ozzy Osbourne left the world just days on from one final, mammoth act of generosity. The Black Sabbath frontman died just over two weeks after the band were reunited barely two miles from where they first played together more than 50 years ago.
The band’s final performance in Ozzy’s hometown of Birmingham on July 5 is said to have raised £140million for charity. The iconic farewell gig has split its profits between Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorns Children’s Hospice and the Cure Parkinson’s charity.
Following the concert, Back To The Beginning director Tom Morello wrote on Instagram: “More than 190 million dollars will be donated to houses and hospitals for children.” If the Rage Against The Machine musician’s calculations are correct, Ozzy’s swansong raised the most money for any charity concert on record when not adjusted for inflation, Billboard reports.
READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne dead UPDATES: Sharon’s heartbreak as rock icon’s sisters break silence
“Ozzy raised 140million for the Children’s hospitals and Parkinson’s charities, literally Two Weeks before passing away. What a hero,” one fan wrote on Twitter (X) in the wake of Ozzy’s death being announced. Another added: “To go out in huge style, performing to tens of thousands just before your death, raising millions for charity in the process, well, not many people can say that of their final curtain. What a classy farewell. #ozzy.”
A third mourner wrote: “The last thing Ozzy Osbourne did with his talents was raise £140,000,000 for children’s hospitals and Parkinson’s research. He might have dressed like the Devil, but make no mistake, he loved humanity deeply.”
Back To The Beginning, which also raised money via live streams and merchandise, has surpassed other iconic charity gigs, including George Harrison and Ravi Shankar’s Concert for Bangladesh in 1971. The Beatles legend’s gig, which raised £180,000 for Unicef, started the trend for all-star live music fundraisers.
Sir Bob Geldof’s Live Aid in 1985, with estimates of how much it raised varying between £40million and £114million, and a charity telethon two weeks after the September 11th attacks which raised £95million are other notable big earners.
Ozzy’s loved ones announced his passing at the age of 76 on Tuesday night, with a family statement telling fans: “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. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
The heavy metal singer – who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 – was reunited with fellow original Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Terence ‘Geezer’ Butler and Bill Ward on stage for a final performance on July 5.
The heavy metal band were the last to appear on stage as part of a star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert at Villa Park, Birmingham, not far from the Crown pub where they played their first gig in 1968.
At the start of his solo performance, Ozzy entered the stage by rising on a large black throne through a trap door, wearing his signature black attire and thick eye make-up. He started the set by saying: “Let me hear you. Are you ready? Let the madness begin!”
Later, he told the crowd: “It’s so good to be on this f****** stage. You have no idea. I f****** love you all. Let me see your hands in the air. You are the best, each and every one of you. God bless you all.”
In an emotional moment, he added: “I don’t know what to say, man, I’ve been laid up for, like, six years. You have no idea how I feel – thank you from the bottom of my heart. You’re all f****** special. Let’s go crazy, come on.”
The rocker sang five songs in his own set, with fans waving torches from their phones during Mama, I’m Coming Home. He finished his performance with Crazy Train, before confetti rained over a packed Villa Park.
After a short break, he re-entered the stage to join the rest of Black Sabbath for the first time in 20 years. The band performed some of their greatest hits, ending with a rendition of Paranoid.
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .