Ozzy Osbourne died a year ago today at age 76 after battling an array of health issues. The revered Black Sabbath frontman’s bandmates reflected on his legacy on the anniversary of his death. Surviving Black Sabbath members drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and guitarist Tony Iommi individually shared their remembrances.
Ward took to Twitter, where he wrote, “Every day, there is a a persistent silence. We miss you so much, Respectfully, with love to the Osbourne Family, Bill and Jackie Ward Family.”
Butler shared an iconic photo of the singer on his bat throne on Instagram. “One year ago today – hard to believe,” Butler captioned the post. “I am so glad we were able to do the final show , back in our hometown, just a couple of weeks before Ozzy left us. Gone in body, but his legend lives on. Such incredible memories. Ozzy forever!”
As Butler referenced, the band had reunited to perform their Back to the Beginning farewell concert in Birmingham, England just a couple of weeks prior to Osbourne’s death.
Iommi shared a performance clip on Instagram as he reflected on his late friend. “Hi everyone. Well, it’s now a year since Ozzy’s passing and I still can’t believe that he’s not with us,” he wrote. “I watch him on YouTube and it feels like he’s still here with us. We always stayed in touch, almost every week or so and we’d usually talk about our ailments and then about what we’d been doing that particular week.”
“The fans have been absolutely brilliant and the love and respect that they have shown for him has just been amazing,” Iommi continued. I’m so glad that we were able to play one final show with the original line up of Sabbath at the Back To The Beginning show in our home town of Birmingham! There will never be another Ozzy. I miss you my dear friend.”
Osbourne’s daughter Kelly also took to social media to express her feelings of profound grief at the loss of her father in the year following his death.
“There is a grief that steals more than the person you love. It quietly takes the light from your laughter, the innocence from your hope, and the stranger you become is someone you’ll spend a lifetime trying to recognize,” she wrote. “People think grief is missing someone who is gone, but the deepest sorrow is waking each day longing for the version of yourself who died with them.”
Paul Heartfield*