Ozzy Osbourne defied doctors orders to get up on stage with Black Sabbath at Villa Park one last time and died just two weeks later
Ozzy Osbourne was so ill in the lead up to his final concert that his “petrified” wife Sharon Osbourne shielded the truth from their children and the other members of Black Sabbath.
The singer was advised not to perform his last show, a final gig at Villa Park called Back To The Beginning, but ignore doctors as he wanted one last chance to say goodbye and thank his fans. Ozzy, the lead singer of the iconic British heavy metal band, died of a heart attack two weeks after his farewell concert on July 5 last year. He had suffered from a string of health issues, including multiple surgeries following a fall and Parkinson’s disease.
But revealing further details of his struggles at the British premiere of a film about the final concert, Sharon said: “I was petrified. He did great and we see that in the film. But the guys (in Black Sabbath) didn’t know how sick Ozzy was. Even my kids, we never told my kids. Nobody knew how sick he was.
“Besides that, just being together again in Aston Villa – where it all began – their lives must have been flashing through their heads while they were on that stage.”
She added: “He was just praying that his lungs would work and that he could sing. Because I mean, he had with everything else that was wrong with him, he had emphysema. So for him to breathe was very very hard, and you know you never knew from one day to the next he could be great for two days, and then on the third day, he’d wake up, and you know, all you’d hear was wheezing, and he couldn’t breathe, so it was it was tough.”
At the end of the new film, Sharon also tells viewers of how Ozzy went through the pain barrier to perform.
She says: “He was told 10 days before the show he probably wouldn’t make it through the show if he went up and performed. He absolutely said ‘No, I’ve made my commitment, I’m doing it. Whatever happens, happens.”
The decision seemed to be the right one as the concert was one of the most memorable in the history of heavy metal and allowed Ozzy to say goodbyes to friends and fans.
Sharon said he was like a different person after the gig after years of illness too and enjoyed his final days. She said: “He was flying high again. He was so happy. Until the day he passed, he was still on that high, so thankful to everyone.
“It was so joyous for us to see because we hadn’t seen him like that for years. He was laughing, telling jokes again. It was brilliant.”
Black Sabbath formed in Birmingham in 1968 and went on to become one of the most successful heavy metal bands of all time, with Ozzy dubbed the ‘Prince of Darkness’. Sharon said the concert film represents the success of the genre over the years.
She explained: “You see artist after artist filling stadiums now with this music and it’s wonderful to see it.”
The film also shows Ozzy thanking his wife on stage for her two year mission to put on the concert. Other bands including Metallica and Guns and Roses played on the day.
As the credits roll on the film, Sharon says: “He was just so elated. He was in such a great place mentally and he went out the way he wanted to. It’s what he wanted and not many people get that opportunity, and he did.”
The Osbournes married in 1982 and had three children, Aimee, 43; Kelly, 41; and Jack, 40. Ozzy was also a father to Jessica, Louis and adopted son Elliot, from his previous marriage to Thelma Riley.
Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning captures the singer with his original bandmates: guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward and bassist Geezer Butler.
The film is in cinemas for a limited time from October 28 and tickets can be bought at backtothebeginning.com.
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