Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has paid tribute to his “dear friend” Ozzy Osbourne on the first anniversary of his death, adding: “I still can’t believe that he’s not with us.”
The singer, known as the Prince of Darkness, died aged 76 in July last year just over two weeks after his Back To The Beginning farewell concert where he was reunited with his bandmates.
Osbourne is famed for co-founding the chart-topping group in the 1960s, alongside guitarist Iommi, bass player Terence “Geezer” Butler and drummer Bill Ward.
Iommi's tribute
Iommi, 78, paid tribute to his late bandmate in a lengthy message on X on Wednesday, posting: “Well, it’s now a year since Ozzy’s passing and I still can’t believe that he’s not with us.
“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.”
Osbourne, who died of a reported heart attack, had suffered from a string of health issues over the years, including multiple surgeries following a fall in February 2019 and being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Iommi, nicknamed The Godfather Of Heavy Metal, was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2012 and announced he was in remission in 2016.
The Grammy-winner continued: “The fans have been absolutely brilliant and the love and respect that they have shown for him has just been amazing.
“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 hometown of Birmingham.
“There will never be another Ozzy. I miss you my dear friend.”
Sharon Osbourne remembers Ozzy
On the first anniversary of his death, Ozzy was also remembered by his widow Sharon, who encouraged fans to “remember how funny he was – funny and charismatic and real” in an interview with BBC Radio West Midlands.
She added: “He was authentic.
“He never tried to be anything other than what he was, and he would tell you the truth about everything and that was him, you knew where you were with him.”
The former X Factor judge, who was visibly emotional in the interview, also praised her husband’s hometown for hosting “Ozzy Day” – a series of events commemorating the anniversary of his death.
Sharon said: “(Birmingham) is the home of metal.
“It’s Ozzy’s home, it’s where he was born, what he loved and (Ozzy Day) wouldn’t work anywhere else.
“He loved this city, he loved its people. He was proud of being a Brummie and that’s it.”
Sharon added that his final Back To The Beginning gig – which featured performances from Metallica and Guns N’ Roses – was “beautiful” and “something my family, my grandchildren, my children will never forget”.
Kelly Osbourne's tribute
Her youngest daughter, Kelly Osbourne, paid tribute to her father with a heartfelt message on Instagram, detailing how “one year ago today, the world changed forever”.
The TV personality, 41, described the death of her father as “the hardest thing I have ever had to endure” and said her grief “aches every single day”.
Osbourne also spoke about how she wishes her father could see “the little man” her son Sidney is becoming, and hailed the impact Ozzy had on the world.
She praised her father’s working-class background, and said he “never forgot what he came from”.
The star ended the emotional tribute by saying the past year “has broken me in ways I never knew were possible”, and that she loves and misses Ozzy who “made me who I am”.
Other tributes
Billy Morrison, who is a guitarist for rocker Billy Idol, also joined in the tributes and shared a photo of himself with his close friend and frequent collaborator Ozzy to Instagram.
He wrote: “I can’t believe it’s been a year. I miss you mate.”
Osbourne was best known for his role in Black Sabbath – which is widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal.
He also had a successful solo career, and appeared in 2000s reality TV series The Osbournes alongside his wife Sharon and their two youngest children.
