Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne’s bandmate, has revealed how the rock star’s passing has affected the band as a whole, saying it feels like losing a brother.
Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi has said he is struggling to accept Ozzy Osbourne’s death and says it has affected the band “bad”. The rock icon died on Tuesday, aged 76, just weeks after his farewell concert in Birmingham.
Ozzy’s heartbroken family shared the sad news, as they revealed he was surrounded by love until the end. Fans and fellow musicians have flocked to share their tributes to the Prince of Darkness, including his former bandmates.
Since meeting at school in Aston, Birmingham, Tony and Ozzy have been friends. They remained close friends for 57 years, but now Tony is attempting to reconcile with Ozzy’s demise.
It’s been challenging, simply put, because it’s a shock. Since hearing this, I haven’t been able to properly organize myself. He claimed that it has been “incredibly strange.”
Tony explained that Geezer Butler, a Black Sabbath star, and Tony have been having conversations about the same issues. He is essentially the same; he just can’t come together. He acknowledged that it has had a negative impact on us.
“It’s challenging for me to fully accept that right now. I still believe he is there, and I continue to text him, but he is no longer there.
The band and Ozzy’s hometown band met just over two weeks ago for Ozzy’s Back to the Beginning concert. Ozzy remained committed to playing the stage one last time despite his health.
We had rehearsals, and Ozzy arrived, but because of the pressure, we didn’t want to do too much with Oz, Tony said. He actually wanted to do it, but we didn’t want to force him to say, “Let’s do that again.”
“But I’m glad we did it, and I’m glad we did it because it really inspired him.” Tony explained how the concert gave Ozzy something to focus on and “work toward.”
Tony told the BBC: “It was really worth doing for all of us, for the band to be together on our final thing, not knowing Ozzy was gonna pass away shortly afterwards, but just to get together again because we’ve been trying to get the original four back for years.”
Ozzy played his epic farewell show in his hometown of Birmingham just over two weeks before his death. He was joined by huge stars across rock at his Back to the Beginning concert, where he took to the stage as a solo artist and with Black Sabbath for one last time.
As Guns N’ Roses, KoRn, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Metallica, Alice In Chains, Gojira, Anthrax, and Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler all performed, he “raised” a ton of money for charity.
Ozzy’s death was announced by his devastated family, with a 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 surrounded by love and his family. At this time, we ask that everyone respects our family’s privacy. Jack, Kelly, Aimee, and Louis, among others.
Source: Mirror
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