Ozzy Osbourne says farewell to live performance with a hometown show for 40,000 fans

LONDON (AP) – Hard-rock royalty and some 40,000 fans gathered for an ear-splitting tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at what the heavy metal icon says was his last-ever live performance.

The original lineup of Osbourne’s band Black Sabbath performed at Villa Park soccer stadium in their home city of Birmingham, central England, on Saturday.

The 76-year-old singer, who has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, sang from a black throne that rose up from under the stage.

“Let the madness begin!” he urged as he took the stage, and later paid tribute to fans.

“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,” Osbourne said. “You’re all … special. Let’s go crazy, come on.”

Osbourne performed several songs solo before being joined onstage, for the first time in 20 years, by Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Terence “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward. The band ended a short set with “Paranoid,” one of its most famous songs.

It capped a day-long metal festival that included performances from the likes of Anthrax, Metallica and Guns N’Roses. Artists who sent plaudits and well-wishes included Jack Black, Dolly Parton and Elton John.

“You are one of the most remarkable singers of our time,” John said. “You are the king, you are the legend.”

Osbourne formed Black Sabbath in 1968 in Birmingham, a city then known for its heavy industry that became the crucible of the British metal scene. Black Sabbath’s devil imagery and thunderous sound made them one of the era’s most influential – and parent-scaring – metal acts. Both the band and Osbourne as a solo artist have been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Osbourne’s fame expanded into the mainstream in the early 2000s, when he joined his wife Sharon Osbourne, and two of their children in the MTV reality TV show “The Osbournes.”

He has struggled with health issues since 2003 following a near-fatal quad bike crash. He revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020 and paused touring in 2023 after spinal surgery.