What The Final Year Of Ozzy Osbourne's Life Was Really Like

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It's asserted that it often doesn't matter what people say about someone when they're alive, but what's spoken about them after they're gone that matters the most. Pioneer. Legend. The Prince of Darkness. Whichever label you associate with Ozzy Osbourne, one fact remains: He lived a heck of a life and shall be remembered as one of the most influential musicians in the history of heavy metal music.

No one predicted that July 22, 2025, would be the day on which the world bid farewell to the icon. However, the last 12 months of his life proved to be exceptionally busy, especially in the lead-up to his final concert with Black Sabbath. It evokes the lyrics from his track "I Don't Wanna Stop" (off 2007's "Black Rain" album): "All fired up, I'm gonna go till I drop. You're either in or in the way, don't make me, I don't wanna stop."

While there must have been countless private and special moments that he shared with his family, the Osbournes also let us in on a whole lot of what occurred in the final year of Ozzy's life. He may be gone now, but when you live the way in which the man born John Michael Osbourne did, it's impossible for anyone to ever forget you.

In 2020, Ozzy Osbourne discussed how he had been living with Parkinson's disease since 2003. Starting in 2019, he'd also had several other health-related incidents, as he experienced a nasty fall, pneumonia, and spinal surgery. That wasn't all, though, as over the years, he required several more surgeries to fix the botched operation. After these events, Ozzy was still able to walk and get around with assistance, but it was clear that his mobility was becoming a challenge for him, hence the scarcity of his performing live thereafter.

In October 2024, Ozzy received his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist, though he'd previously been inducted as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006. This time, the organization recognized his influence as one of the most important solo acts in rock history, but he was seated on a throne throughout his appearance. Four months later, Ozzy revealed that the effects of Parkinson's had taken a monumental toll on him, and he could no longer walk. "I have made it to 2025," Ozzy said on Sirius XM (via Independent). "I can't walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I'm still alive."

Ozzy's wife, Sharon, also weighed in on the situation at the time. "Parkinson's is a progressive disease," she told The Sun. "It's not something you can stabilize. It affects different parts of the body and it's affected his legs." Having said that, Sharon insisted that his voice was still in top form.

The mounting medical issues over the years left Ozzy Osbourne dejected, as he admitted to The Guardian in May 2025. However, his wife wasn't about to let him wallow in misery. "Sharon could see that I was in Doom Town," Ozzy said, "and she says to me, 'I've got an idea.' It was something to give me a reason to get up in the morning."

Sharon's idea: A final show for Ozzy. Billed as "Back to the Beginning," the charity concert would take place in Birmingham, England — the same place in which the seminal Black Sabbath was formed decades earlier. The show would feature the reunion of the original line-up of Sabbath as Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward joined Ozzy one last time. In addition to this, Sharon invited a group of artists influenced by Ozzy and Sabbath to perform — with high-profile names including Anthrax, Slayer, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, and Lamb of God.

Much like anything having to do with Ozzy's career, however, the event wasn't without controversy. Mötley Crüe pulled out because of medical issues within the band, while another group was removed from the bill altogether after Sharon accused them of trying to make a buck off the charity gig.

There was a genuine fear about what type of condition Ozzy Osbourne would be in to perform at his final concert. Even if he wouldn't be able to bounce around on stage like he used to in the past, it's still physically grueling to perform live in front of an audience, so there were justified doubts. Yet, Ozzy didn't leave anything up to chance, as he told The Guardian that he had a physical trainer who lived in his home and helped to get him into shape.

Ozzy explained how he did weights and specific exercises to regain his strength, though he realized he would likely be sitting down for the show. Furthermore, he worked with a vocal coach up to four times a week to make sure his instrument was tuned and ready to rock Villa Park. "I'll do the best I can," he said. "So all I can do is turn up." So, what was Ozzy Osbourne's final concert really like? Impressive, according to those in attendance. The singer performed staples from his solo career, such as "Crazy Train" and "Mama, I'm Coming Home," while he bedazzled with Black Sabbath on their most famous hits like "Paranoid," "War Pigs," and "Iron Man."

"There were concerns beforehand about the state of his voice in light of his health issues, but he worked hard to prep for the night and sounded incredible," Rolling Stone's Andy Greene wrote.

"Back to the Beginning" turned out to be a spectacular and worthy send-off for the Prince of Darkness, delivering everything and more that people expected from Ozzy Osbourne and friends. For Ozzy, he expressed satisfaction about how his final show panned out; however, there was one element he wished could have been different: He wanted to be more active on stage like he used to be in the past, rather than sitting on his bat-inspired throne for nine songs. His former Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi echoed a similar sentiment to BBC Radio 4 (via Billboard), stating that performing while sitting in a chair would have been "the last thing that Ozzy would have ever wanted to be [doing] but [he] had to."

"The only thing that was terribly frustrating for me [was] I had to sit there instead of running across the stage," Ozzy revealed in the BBC documentary "Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home" via YouTube). "That was f***ing torture that was. I wanted to get off that thing so much!" Despite being confined to his throne for the entirety of his performance, Ozzy enjoyed the show and stated he could "retire with a clear conscience."

After "Back to the Beginning," there were various stories that broke out about the show, regarding how many tickets were sold and how much money the event made overall. Speaking to Pollstar afterward, Sharon Osbourne revealed that a lot of the reported stories in the press were factually inaccurate, but she was quick to turn the conversation back to a discussion about the actual show and how it was a fitting way for Ozzy to retire from performing live and say goodbye to his fans.

According to Sharon, there were about 40,000 concertgoers in attendance that day. From the stage, Ozzy Osbourne's message to the fans at his final concert demonstrated his deep appreciation for them, as he thanked them "for everything," called them "amazing," and concluded with a rally call of "Birmingham forever." Of course, there was an expletive or two chucked in there for good measure, because that's just who Ozzy was.

As it turns out, this public display of gratitude wasn't done only for the optics. Behind the scenes, Ozzy expressed the same genuine admiration — and perhaps even a hint of bewilderment — at the sheer number of people who showed up to see and celebrate him. "He turned around and he said to me that night, 'I had no idea that so many people liked me,'" Sharon said.

In a line-up stacked with classic bands and all-time greats, English singer Yungblud stole the show at "Back to the Beginning" with a stirring rendition of Black Sabbath's "Changes." While the largely metal audience might have turned their noses up at Yungblud's presence at the event in the first place, he won them over by the end with a heart-stopping performance.

Yungblud didn't just take a wrong turn and end up at Villa Park on that day, though. As a matter of fact, he struck up a friendship with Ozzy Osbourne and his family years earlier, hence his presence at the concert. On the same day of "Back to the Beginning," Yungblud had a gig at Belgium's Rock Werchter, so he made sure to plan out his day so he could perform at both shows — and not miss Ozzy's final performance.

After Ozzy passed away, Yungblud appeared on "Steve-O's Wild Ride!" podcast and revealed the best advice he received from the Wizard of Ozz. "The most beautiful thing he ever said to me was, 'Never compromise, they'll get it later,'" Yungblud said, adding that Sharon told him she saw some similarities between Ozzy and himself — not in the music they played but in their personalities.

Ozzy Osbourne spent a good part of the last year of his life writing the final chapter of his story — both figuratively and literally. While he had co-written his 2010 autobiography "I Am Ozzy" with Chris Ayres, this later book, titled "Last Rites" (also co-written with Ayres) was different. This was from the perspective of a man who knew the end was closer than the beginning.

According to Ozzy's son, Jack, the musician had worked on the book for three to four years, completing the last chapter merely days before his death. As Jack explained in a press release about "Last Rites," Ozzy's health issues forced him to take life easier than he had before. While that was against the grain of who Ozzy was as a person, it also afforded him the chance to think about his life and consider the past and his experiences.

"I used to worry more about my mortality when I was younger," Ozzy wrote in "Last Rites" (via USA Today), which was released posthumously on October 7, 2025. "It's weird. You get closer to the end — the very thing you were scared of your whole life — and suddenly the weight's lifted off you. Not that I'm ready to go. But I've had a good run. I think I made a mark on the world."

When people discuss the craziest stunts Ozzy Osbourne ever pulled (and there are many to pick and choose from), two incidents come to mind immediately — both acts that won't please any animal lover. The first — and perhaps most notorious — involved Ozzy biting the head off a dead bat at a concert in Des Moines, Iowa, in January 1982 after a fan threw the carcass onto the stage. The second occurred during a meeting with record label executives in March 1981. Tired of listening to a public relations executive and attempting to shock her into not speaking to him any further, Ozzy grabbed a dove and bit its head off, then another; it worked, as Ozzy was kicked out of the building for his actions.

In his autobiography "Last Rites" (via RadarOnline), Ozzy addressed both of these incidents, expressing that one was entirely unintentional and the other was regrettable. "That was the night someone threw what I thought was a joke-shop bat at the stage. And I caught it," he wrote. "When I bit down on its neck, I realized very quickly it wasn't made of rubber."

Discussing the dove incident, Ozzy wrote, "What happened to that bird, I'll take to my grave."

The bulk of the final year of Ozzy Osbourne's life centered around the "Back to the Beginning" show as well as all the preparations for it. Even before he had played his last concert, though, he had one eye on what came next. And no, it wasn't another album, or a deliberate Black Sabbath reunion cash-in. Instead, Ozzy wanted to spend time with his family, specifically his wife, Sharon.

"I'm looking forward to getting this gig over, hanging my mic up, and spending some time with you," Ozzy said to Sharon in the documentary "Ozzy: No Escape from Now" (via People). "After this gig, we're free." Sharon shared the same feeling, saying, "I just want to live a life. That's all I want to do."

The pair were married for 43 years. Even so, the majority of that time was spent on managing and navigating Ozzy's superstar career and their various business ventures, with hardly any time to slow down. Now, with the final show done and dusted, there was the opportunity for them to take a pause and just be a couple. Unfortunately, they didn't even get a month to enjoy their "retirement" as Ozzy passed away in the same month as his final show.

On July 22, 2025, Ozzy Osbourne died at the age of 76. The news sent shockwaves through the music industry and the world at large, as his family released a statement (via Sky News), stating: "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."

In the aftermath, more information about Ozzy's last day materialized. A helicopter carrying paramedics was dispatched to Ozzy's residency on the morning of July 22. As per eyewitnesses and neighbors, they feared the medical attention was for Ozzy, as they knew he was in poor health (via Metro). Ultimately, the paramedics spent around two hours at the musician's home, then another hour at the nearby Harefield Hospital.

According to his death certificate, Ozzy died of cardiac arrest. A week after his passing, fans swarmed Birmingham, England, to pay their last respects to the Prince of Darkness before his family held a private funeral for him.

Without question, Ozzy Osbourne's legacy speaks for itself. He achieved success both as the frontman of Black Sabbath and a solo artist, inspiring generations of artists to follow in his footsteps. After his passing, many of his friends and contemporaries all expressed what he meant to them and to music as a whole.

His Sabbath bandmates shared heartfelt tributes to him on social media, with bassist Geezer Butler writing a touching tribute on Instagram: "Goodbye dear friend — thanks for all those years — we had some great fun. [Four] kids from Aston — who'd have thought, eh? So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston. Love you."

The rest of the music world reacted too, with the likes of Dolly Parton, Aerosmith, and Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan all paying their respects in some way or another to him. Metallica also took the opportunity to praise what Ozzy meant to them as an influence, peer, and friend. "It's impossible to put into words what Ozzy Osbourne has meant to Metallica," the band wrote on X. "Hero, icon, pioneer, inspiration, mentor, and, most of all, friend are a few that come to mind. Ozzy and Sharon believed in us and transformed our lives and careers."

To find out more, check out how the world reacted to the death of Ozzy Osbourne.