Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has revealed that his last ever conversation with Ozzy Osbourne was the night before the Prince of Darkness’ death.
Ozzy died on July 22, 2025, just weeks after the Back To The Beginning farewell show at his hometown of Birmingham, England.
Tony Iommi told the Loudwire Nights radio show: “I spoke to him the night before he passed.
“He said to me, ‘I really feel tired and really worn out’. I said, ‘Well, you’re bound to really, it’s been a lot of stress and pressure and stuff like that’.
“And the next thing, the next day, gone.”
He has struggled to accept that Ozzy was no longer with us, he said, and explained that even the final show was difficult because of Ozzy’s mobility issues. “It was difficult because seeing Ozzy sitting in a throne is not the way I see him.
“Always onstage, he’s been running around and [would] pull a face jokingly. We always had a little laugh onstage and enjoy when he’d run about.”
“But at Back to the Beginning, of course, he’s in a throne and I couldn’t see him, which felt very unusual. But it was a great moment, and I’m really glad we could get the opportunity to do it, because I mean, God, we didn’t know he was going to go that quick. But he did… There’s memories that will remain there, from rehearsals to the whole thing… I am glad that we could do that gig.”
Latest Videos FromGuitarPlayer
Iommi releases a new solo album, From The Dark, on October 23. The album sees him joined throughout by Jorn Lande, who shares writing credits on all songs, as well as bassist Becky Baldwin and drummer Karl Brazil, co-produced by Tony and Mike Exeter, his long-time creative partner, co-writer, producer and audio engineer.
