Geezer Butler, the founding bassist of Black Sabbath, revealed how the band’s final concert came together weeks before Ozzy Osbourne‘s death. In a tribute written for the Times of London, Butler said he was initially taken aback by Osbourne’s appearance when the band came in for rehearsals.
“I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was,” Butler shared, in an otherwise glowing tribute to his longtime bandmate. “He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane — being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones.”
Butler said that Osbournce became exhausted “after six or seven songs” and was “really quiet compared to the Ozzy of old.”
The concert on July 5 was still a massive success, with bands indebted to Sabbath performing before a double set of Osbourne’s solo material and Black Sabbath’s biggest hits. Osbourne died on July 22, after a years-long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Butler shared his appreciation that he got to play one last time with a nearly lifelong friend.
“Nobody knew he’d be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show. But I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans. The love from the fans and all the bands, musicians, singers and solo artists that night was incredible,” he wrote. “Everyone had come to pay homage to the Prince. I am so privileged to have spent most of my life with him.”
