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It\u2019s been roughly a year since Black Sabbath<\/a> played their final (Back to the Beginning<\/a>) show and<\/em> Ozzy Osbourne<\/a> tragically passed away<\/a>. In a new interview with Rolling Stone<\/a><\/em> magazine \u2013 ahead of his upcoming solo album, From the Dark<\/a><\/em> \u2013 guitarist Tony Iommi<\/a> reflected on both events while confessing that he still doesn\u2019t feel like Ozzy\u2019s gone.<\/p>\n During the chat \u2013 published online on July 29 \u2013 Iommi dove into several details regarding From the Dark<\/em> (including working with vocalist J\u00f8rn Lande). Naturally, the conversation then turned to Black Sabbath and Ozzy, with interviewer Kory Grow asking Iommi: \u201cAre you satisfied with Black Sabbath\u2019s legacy being done?\u201d<\/p>\n He replied:<\/p>\n Yeah. The legacy\u2019s been fantastic, really. I think it was a good thing to finish off when we did the Back to the Beginning one, because all the bands who were fans of Sabbath came onto that show, which was just brilliant. And it was so nice of them to all put themselves out to come and play on the same show and no egos or anything. Everybody just got on with it and played. It was great for a final thing with Sabbath to take it together as the original band and finish it off as it should.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Regarding the monumental Back to the Beginning event, Iommi said that it \u201cfelt very strange\u201d because they\u2019d \u201cnever been onstage with Ozzy in a throne before, sitting down.\u201d<\/p>\n He added:<\/p>\n [Ozzy] was always jumping around, pulling faces, and making me and [bassist] Geezer<\/a> [Butler] laugh. But on this occasion, I couldn\u2019t see him because he\u2019s in that throne at the front. Obviously, we hadn\u2019t played with [drummer] Bill<\/a> [Ward] . . . for 20 years, so Bill wanted me to stand back by him just because he was unsure of some bits. And so I did.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Iommi acknowledged how emotional the night was, too, before commenting on the shocking passing of his former bandmate and friend: \u201cOf course, nobody knew Ozzy was going to go not long afterwards either. I knew he weren\u2019t well, but I didn\u2019t expect it to happen that quick.\u201d<\/p>\n On that note, he also mentioned that Ozzy \u201ctexted [him] the night before, funny enough, and said he weren\u2019t feeling great and so on.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut obviously, most of our conversations to each other have been, \u2018How are you feeling? How\u2019s this? How\u2019s that?\u2019 And so it was just another conversation. I didn\u2019t expect him to go overnight. Blimey. It was a hell of a shock, really,\u201d Iommi continued.<\/p>\n Grow subsequently revealed that Ozzy \u201ctold [him] in interviews how meaningful it was . . . that [Iommi was] supportive of him [Ozzy] as he healed up in recent years.\u201d<\/p>\n Iommi remarked:<\/p>\n Well, we did stay in touch a lot. And he was going through so many different things and constantly in and out of hospital and having this done and that done. And again, he stood by me when I was\u00a0diagnosed with cancer<\/a>. He called me every day. So we\u2019ve been supportive of each other. I do miss our conversations.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Finally, Grow asked Iommi how he\u2019s \u201chandled the last year without [Ozzy],\u201d to which Iommi confessed:<\/p>\n It\u2019s been really strange. I still don\u2019t feel like he\u2019s gone because when I look on YouTube or whatever, there\u2019s something to do with Ozzy, and I see him again and again. It\u2019s almost like he\u2019s still here. It\u2019s really peculiar. Only, we were in touch so many times. That\u2019s what I miss.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Of course, Iommi shared similar details during his first interview\u00a0after Ozzy\u2019s death<\/a> (with ITV News<\/em> at the end of July 2025).<\/p>\n “God, am I dreaming all of this? It was a shock for us,” he began, adding: \u201cI mean, when I heard yesterday, it couldn\u2019t sink in. I thought, \u2018It can\u2019t be.\u2019 I only had a text from him the day before. It just seemed unreal, surreal. And it really didn\u2019t sink in.\u201d<\/p>\n Iommi noted as well that the band could tell that Ozzy\u2019s health was declining as they prepared for Back to the Beginning.<\/p>\n We could see it in rehearsal. We didn\u2019t want him there every day at rehearsal, because it\u2019s too much. He just wouldn\u2019t be able to stand it. So they\u2019d bring him in and he\u2019d sit down and sing a few songs, and then we\u2019d talk about some rubbish old times or whatever, have a laugh, and then he\u2019d go. And that\u2019s sort of what we did, really. . . . I had the text off him the day before yesterday saying he\u2019s tired and he\u2019s really got no energy. And I thought, \u201cOh, dear.\u201d \u2018Cause it\u2019s a lot for him to do that under the problems he\u2019s got.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Iommi also told ITV News<\/em> that he thinks Ozzy \u201creally just held out to do that show,\u201d explaining:<\/p>\n I really feel \u2013 and me and Geezer were talking about it last night \u2013 that we think he held out to do it, and just after that, he\u2019s done it and said goodbye to the fans. And that was the end of it, really. I think he must have had something in his head that said, \u201cWell, this is gonna be it, the last thing I\u2019m ever gonna do.\u201d Whether he thought he was gonna die or what, I don\u2019t know. But he really wanted to do it, and he was determined to do it. And fair dues, he\u2019d done it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n READ MORE: Who Is Jorn Lande? Meet the Singer on Tony Iommi’s New Solo Album ‘From the Dark’<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Iommi\u2019s chat with Rolling Stone<\/em> wasn\u2019t the only time he recently commented on the anniversary of Ozzy\u2019s death.<\/p>\n On July 22 (the exact one-year anniversary of Ozzy\u2019s death), Iommi shared a snippet<\/a> of a Black Sabbath performance (from before their 2017 retirement<\/a>) to social media.<\/p>\n Alongside it, Iommi wrote:<\/p>\n Hi everyone. Well, it\u2019s now a year since Ozzy\u2019s passing and I still can\u2019t believe that he\u2019s not with us. I watch him on YouTube and it feels like he\u2019s still here with us. We always stayed in touch, almost every week or so and we\u2019d usually talk about our ailments and then about what we\u2019d 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. I\u2019m 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. Tony<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Likewise, the rest of Black Sabbath paid tribute to the Prince of Darkness on the same day<\/a>.<\/p>\n Specifically, Geezer Butler uploaded a photo of Ozzy from Back to the Beginning while proclaiming: “One year ago today- hard to believe. 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!”<\/p>\n As for Bill Ward, he shared:<\/p>\n Every day, there is a persistent silence,<\/p>\n We miss you so much,<\/p>\n Respectfully, with love to the Osbourne family,<\/p>\n Bill and Jackie Ward Family<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Last week, Loudwire<\/a> also reported that Universal Studios\u2019 Hollywood Horror Nights<\/a> will be getting an Ozzy-inspired haunted house this year at both<\/em> their Hollywood and Orlando theme parks!<\/p>\n We expounded:<\/p>\n Universal’s website\u00a0describes of the haunted house honoring the late metal legend, “Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s shocking image was as haunting as his heavy metal hits. Now you\u2019ll enter the Prince of Darkness\u2019s kingdom where music and mayhem collide \u2014 and everything\u2019s gone off the rails. Veer through a decaying world ripped straight from Ozzy\u2019s lyrics in this haunted house inspired by one of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll\u2019s greatest legends. Let the madness begin!”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n In particular, Loudwire explained, the attractions \u201care said to include music from six of Ozzy\u2019s solo records\u201d (including 1980\u2019s Blizzard of Oz<\/a><\/em> and 1991\u2019s No More Tears<\/a><\/em>). Plus, the Osbourne family \u201ccontributed to the haunted houses in both locations with each providing a unique experience while paying tribute to Ozzy.\u201d<\/p>\n You can read more about the attraction here<\/a>\u00a0and<\/em> see a trailer for it below:<\/p>\n Going back to From the Dark<\/em>, it\u2019ll be Iommi\u2019s first solo album since 2005\u2019s Fused<\/a><\/em>, and it\u2019ll be released on Oct. 23 via BMG.<\/p>\n Iommi teamed up with vocalist J\u00f8rn Lande for the project, as well as bassist Becky Baldwin (Mercyful Fate<\/a>) and drummer Karl Brazil (James Blunt, Robbie Williams). It\u2019ll be co-produced by Iommi and frequently collaborator Mike Exeter, too.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an album we\u2019ve really enjoyed making. We\u2019re not trying to prove anything. It\u2019s a great album. It rocks!\u201d Iommi said of the record.<\/p>\n You can preorder the album here<\/a> and see the official music video for lead single \u201cWorld Alone\u201d below:<\/p>\n Be sure to let us know how you feel about Iommi\u2019s sentiments, and make sure you check out our feature on 15 rock and metal artists who became college professors below! For some, a career in rock or metal was directly responsible for leading them to the classroom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nTony Iommi Looks Back on Black Sabbath + Ozzy Osbourne<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Other Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne + Black Sabbath News<\/h3>\n
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15 Rock + Metal Artists Who Became College Professors<\/h2>\n