“I think he really just held out to do that show”: Tony Iommi speaks on Ozzy Osbourne’s death just weeks after Black Sabbath’s final farewell

“I think he really just held out to do that show”: Tony Iommi speaks on Ozzy Osbourne’s death just weeks after Black Sabbath’s final farewell

Tony Iommi has opened up about the death of his longtime friend and Black Sabbath brother, Ozzy Osbourne, and the “shock” he still feels in the wake of the metal legend’s passing.
Osbourne’s death earlier this week left a massive hole in the music world. And few feel that loss more deeply than Iommi, who performed alongside Ozzy just weeks ago at Back to the Beginning, Sabbath’s farewell concert in their hometown of Birmingham.

READ MORE: “We’ve lost our brother”: Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne

In a new interview with ITV News, the guitarist admits [via Blabbermouth]: “Yeah, it was a shock for us [to find out that Ozzy had died]. I mean, when I heard yesterday, it couldn’t sink in. I thought, ‘It can’t be.’ I only had a text from him the day before. It just seemed unreal, surreal. And it really didn’t sink in. And in the night I started thinking about it: ‘God, am I dreaming all this?’ But as I said before, he’s not looked well through the rehearsals.”
Looking back on it all, Iommi says he believes the final performance at Back To The Beginning might have been Ozzy’s last mission.
“I think he really just held out to do that show. I really feel, and me and Geezer [Butler] were talking about it last night, that we think he held out to do it, and just after that, he’s done it and said goodbye to the fans. And that was the end of it, really.”
He adds that the show meant the world to Ozzy, even if he was physically struggling.
“He’s built up for it for a while now,” says Iommi. “He’s been sort of training and trying to do what he can, so he could do this gig, so he could do it. And that’s really what he wanted to do. I think he must have had something in his head that said, ‘Well, this is gonna be it, the last thing I’m ever gonna do.’ Whether he thought he was gonna die or what, I don’t know. But he really wanted to do it and he was determined to do it. And fair dues, he’d done it.”
Asked whether Ozzy seemed to enjoy being on stage again, Iommi recalls: “I think he was moved and frustrated as well, ‘cause he wanted to stand up. You could see he was trying to get up. But yeah, it meant everything to him. This is what we built up for, for that big ending where he could see all the people and we could all see all the people, and close it in that way. But we didn’t expect to close it so quick with Ozz; we didn’t expect him to go that quick, really. Well, we didn’t expect him to go. So it’s been a shock.”
Still, Iommi says he’s grateful Sabbath had that final moment together: “I’m really glad we did it, ‘cause it was a final thing for everybody. And I think if we hadn’t done it, people couldn’t have seen the band and Ozzy. It would’ve been a shame. But they’ve got a chance to see us all and see Ozz for the last time in that situation.”

Reflecting on Ozzy’s legacy and their decades-long friendship, Iommi says, “There’s never gonna be another Ozzy. He’s the only one – one Ozzy and that’s it. [And he’s] just a special person, just the way he is. He says what he thinks. Many times we said to him, ‘Now, don’t get saying anything.’ And, of course, he does… And we did have a laugh on stage.”
“As much as we were serious about the music, we’d always have this thing, and Ozz would always come over to me and pull faces,” Iommi continues. “Of course, the audience couldn’t see that, and he’d be pulling all these funny faces, and I’d just crack up. Then he’d go over to Geezer and do the same. He was just that sort of person. He was a showman.”
Tributes have flooded in for the Prince of Darkness following the news of his death.
“Goodbye dear friend. Thanks for all those years – we had some great fun,” wrote Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, while longtime Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde thanked the legend for “blessing the world with your kindness and greatness”.
The post “I think he really just held out to do that show”: Tony Iommi speaks on Ozzy Osbourne’s death just weeks after Black Sabbath’s final farewell appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.

read more

Source: www.guitar-bass.net