Rock legend Ozzy Osbourne bids farewell with Black Sabbath reunion
The legendary rocker told thousands of heavy metal enthusiasts at Villa Park, Birmingham – a stone's throw from where Black Sabbath was formed in 1968 – that it was 'so good to be on this stage' as he performed his last set from a large black throne.
Osbourne and his fellow original Black Sabbath members – Tony Iommi, Terence 'Geezer' Butler and Bill Ward – were the last to appear on stage as part of a star-studded line-up for the Back to the Beginning concert.
Among the bands performing were Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N'Roses, and there were messages of thanks from other celebrities, including Jack Black, Ricky Gervais and Dolly Parton.
Osbourne – who was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019 – plans to continue to record music, but said that the concert marked the end for him performing live.
The 76-year-old, nicknamed the Prince of Darkness, entered the stage for the final time by rising on his throne through a trap door.
He started the performance by saying: 'Let me hear you. Are you ready? Let the madness begin!'
Later, he added: '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, Ozzy said: '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 – who wore his signature black attire and thick eye makeup – 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 – in a special reunion.
The band performed some of their greatest hits to the adoration of the crowd, ending with a rendition of Paranoid for the ultimate send-off.
Fans chanted 'Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozzy' as the rock legend thanked and blew kisses to those in attendance, before departing in an emotional ending to cap off an illustrious career on stage.
Video messages from celebrities made clear the impact both Osbourne and Black Sabbath have had on the music industry.
In one of the messages before his performance, Sir Elton John told Osbourne: 'You are one of the most remarkable singers of our time.
'You are the king, you are the legend.
'You've been through so much crap in the last few years – I hope this is the best day of your life so far.'
In his message, taken in the bath, Gervais quipped: 'My everlasting memory of you will be from when we were on the Graham Norton Show together, and they had to stop the recording because we both needed a piss, so maybe have one before you go on stage tonight. Have a great one.'
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Daily Mirror
14 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Ozzy Osbourne comes clean on affair which drove wife Sharon to overdose
In his upcoming memoir, Ozzy Osbourne is reportedly set to reveal how his affair with hairstylist Michelle Pugh nearly ended his marriage with wife Sharon Osbourne Ozzy Osbourne 's wife, S haron Osbourne, took an overdose after finding out her husband had cheated on her in 2016. The Celebrity Big Brother star, 72, revealed she was left heartbroken after learning of the Black Sabbath star's affair with hairdresser Michelle Pugh. The fling reportedly took place over four years between 2012 and 2016. Sharon previously shared her devastating reaction to the affair during her Sharon Osbourne: Cut the Crap show in London. The mother-of-three said she struggled to cope with the devastating news of Ozzy's infidelity and decided to end their 34-year marriage. After trying to end her life over the heartbreak by taking an array of pills, Sharon later forgave Ozzy for his affair a number of months later. Since then, she has stuck by the rocker and has continued to support and nurse him through several major health woes, including his almost debilitating Parkinson's diagnosis, which he received in 2020. Now, almost ten years on from his affair, Ozzy is reportedly set to bare all in his honest memoir Last Rites, which sources say will tackle 'the good, the bad, the ugly and downright despicable' chapters of his life, including the affair that nearly destroyed his marriage and family life. The Black Sabbath legend, 76, known for his turbulent relationship with wife Sharon, reportedly sees his romance with hair stylist Pugh as a turning point that threatened both his career and marriage. 'You are going to get the whole f***ing lot,' said a source close to the rocker. 'Ozzy didn't hold back. He talks through the chaos of the last 17 years, including Sharon leaving him," they added. The memoir will also reportedly reflect on his path back to sobriety, his commitment to therapy, and all that he did to finally regain Sharon's trust. 'Had she not taken him back, things could've ended very differently,' the insider added to Mail Online. In his unflinching memoir, Ozzy will also reportedly address his sex addiction, which he claims was a driving force behind the affair. Celebrity colourits Pugh once described their relationship as life-changing, claiming: 'He made me feel like the most beautiful and worshipped woman in the world.' She also told People that after the affair eventually ended: 'It was a struggle every day.' Last year while speaking to Loose Women's Jane Moore, Sharon said of the affair: 'He always, always had groupies and I was so used to that. But when he knows the name of the person, where they live and where they work... it is a whole different thing as you are emotionally invested. Speaking about her overdose after finding out about the devastating affair, Sharon said on the show: "I took, I don't know how many pills. I just thought 'My kids are older, they are fine and can take care of themselves'. So I took an overdose and locked myself in the bedroom. The maid tried to come in to clean room and saw me." Sharon first met Ozzy when her father was the manager of Black Sabbath. The pair began dating in 1979 after Ozzy was kicked out of the rock band, with Sharon taking on the role of his manager. The couple tied the knot in Maui, Hawaii, in 1982, but were rocked in 2016 when it was reported Ozzy had been having a four-year affair with a hair stylist. They briefly split and the Black Sabbath star entered rehab for sex addiction. Sharon and Ozzy reunited by the end of the summer in 2016 and they went on to renew their vows in May 2017. They share three children, daughters Aimée and Kelly, and son Jack. The Mirror has contacted Ozzy's representatives for comment on this story.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Ozzy Osbourne to tell-all on the fling that pushed wife Sharon to overdose and nearly ended his career
When Sharon Osbourne discovered her husband Ozzy had been having an affair in 2016, she locked herself in her bedroom and lost count of the number of pills she took. The distraught music manager, 72, struggled to cope with the devastating news of his infidelity and walked out on their decades-long marriage. But she publicly forgave him months later, and went on to nurse him through several major health issues, including a Parkinson's diagnosis in 2020. Now, nearly ten years on, the Daily Mail can reveal the veteran rocker will detail the bombshell fling in his blisteringly honest upcoming memoir, Last Rites, which will reportedly 'address the good, the bad, the ugly and downright despicable.' Ozzy, who reportedly cheated on Sharon with multiple women through the years, will address how his affair with his hair stylist Michelle Pugh was a 'pivotal moment' in his life, and could have spelled the end of not only his career, but also his marriage forever. 'You are going to get the whole f***ing lot - is how Ozzy has described it,' said one insider close to the Black Sabbath frontman. 'He has opened up on the insane things that have happened in the last 17 years to him and his family.' 'He sat with a writer to address the good, the bad, the ugly and downright despicable - and that will include what went down with Michelle and how Sharon left him,' the source added. 'That time was a really pivotal moment because had he not won Sharon back then perhaps that could have spelled the end for his career and efforts to stay sober, because without Sharon as his rock we all fear the worst.' The insider said Ozzy wants to 'tell the world his version of all that now that the dust has settled,' including how he 'did therapy and the utmost to prove he would not stray and was committed to Sharon.' 'She took him back and it really got his mind focused on working again,' they said, adding: 'Obviously that came off the rails with his Parkinson's and that horrible fall which left him really unable to play a full concert again.' Ozzy will reportedly reiterate how his sex addiction issues were a key reason for the fling with Michelle, who claimed the Brummie star had given her the 'greatest love of my life.' The colorist, who styled the likes of Rihanna and worked on campaigns for Gucci, claimed Ozzy pursued her one year after she first colored his hair in late 2011. Speaking exclusively to People in 2017 about their four-year affair, she said: 'He made me feel like the most beautiful and worshipped woman in the world.' Michelle, who also claimed the notorious hellraiser had been 'unhappy' in his marriage, said life post-affair was a 'struggle every day.' Sharon and Ozzy married in 1982 and have three children – Aimee, 41, Kelly, 40, and Jack, 39. Sharon was aware of Ozzy's wandering eye, admitting to the Telegraph in 2017 that he had cheated on her with multiple women during their relationship, including 'some Russian teenager, then a masseuse in England, our masseuse out here, and then our cook.' The insider said Ozzy wants to 'tell the world his version of all that now that the dust has settled,' including how he 'did therapy and the utmost to prove he would not stray and was committed to Sharon' But his illicit affair with Michelle pushed her to attempt suicide, something she admitted for the first time last year. 'He always, always had groupies and I was so used to that,' she told an audience in London as part of her show, Sharon Osbourne: Cut the Crap. 'But when he knows the name of the person, where they live and where they work... it is a whole different thing as you are emotionally invested. I took I don't know how many pills. 'I just thought 'My kids are older, they are fine and can take care of themselves'. So I took an overdose and locked myself in the bedroom. The maid tried to come in to clean the room and saw me.' She later announced she had forgiven him, describing him as a 'romantic fool' during an appearance on The Talk in July 2016. 'I forgive,' she said. 'It's going take a long time to trust, but we've been together 36 years, 34 of marriage … I just can't think of my life without him. Even though he is a dog. He's a dirty dog. So there we are. He's going to pay big.' She added: 'He feels that he owes everyone here an apology because he's put us all through it. He's very embarrassed and ashamed about his conduct.' Ozzy also addressed his behavior in an interview with British GQ in 2020. 'I've done some pretty outrageous things in my life,' he said. 'I regret cheating on my wife. I don't do it anymore. 'I got my reality check and I'm lucky she didn't leave me. I'm not proud of that. I was pissed off with myself. But I broke her heart.' Last Rites promises to be one of the most shocking, saddening and side splitting autobiographies of all time, according to our insider. The 320 pages will cover his marital strife, ongoing battle with sobriety, devastation over his Parkinson's diagnoses and the brutal physical and mental health struggles he's faced since he fell at home in 2019 prompting a raft of life changing issues. The source added: 'Ozzy is going all the way in this book right up till what happened on stage with Sabbath last week. The stories he has to tell are incredible and his own emotional take on everything is going to be gripping. 'The man has so many layers to him and at the centre of it is a deeply complicated human being doing his best to battle his demons all while trying to be the best father and hubby and loving being a granddad.' Ozzy released a statement about the book through his publisher Hachette Books. 'People say to me, if you could do it all again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? I'm like, f*** no. If I'd been clean and sober, I wouldn't be Ozzy. If I'd done normal, sensible things, I wouldn't be Ozzy. Look, if it ends tomorrow, I can't complain. I've been all around the world. Seen a lot of things. I've done good... and I've done bad. But right now, I'm not ready to go anywhere.' A PR release confirmed that Sharon and Ozzy's relationship will be examined. 'Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Osbourne's descent into hell. Along the way, he reflects on his extraordinary life and career – including his turbulent marriage to wife Sharon.' It Is estimated that Ozzy, who played five tracks at the Back To The Beginning farewell show in Villa Park last week, earned £3million for the deal. It hits stores on October 7.
The Herald Scotland
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- The Herald Scotland
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