Black Sabbath Bassist Recalls Final Gig and 57-Year Friendship with Ozzy Osbourne: ‘I Wasn’t Prepared to See How Frail He Was’

As fans around the world mourn the loss of Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler is grieving the man behind the myth — not the “Prince of Darkness,” but the “Prince of Laughter.”

In an emotional tribute published in The Sunday Times, Butler opened up about the nearly six decades he shared with Osbourne — from the band’s gritty beginnings in Birmingham to their final performance together earlier this month. Osbourne passed away on July 22 at age 76, just 17 days after Black Sabbath’s farewell show at Villa Park.

“I am so privileged to have spent most of my life with him,” wrote Butler, 76. “Fifty-seven incredible years of friendship — how do you sum that up?”

Butler, who co-founded Black Sabbath in 1968 alongside Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward, shared that their final gig — held at Aston Villa’s home stadium in their native Birmingham — carried special meaning. “It was fitting,” he wrote. “We started there, and we ended there.”

Yet beneath the symbolism was a painful reality. “I knew he wasn’t well, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was,” Butler recalled. “He was helped into the rehearsal room by two aides and a nurse, leaning on a cane — black, of course, with gold and jewels. Classic Ozzy.”

Rehearsals proved challenging, with Osbourne needing to sit while singing. “He was quiet. Exhausted after just a handful of songs. Not the Ozzy we’d known — the wildman, the showman.”

Butler recounted the awkwardness of the show’s final moments. Traditionally, the band would bow together, arms around each other. But this time, Ozzy remained seated on a throne.

“Tony shook his hand. I gave him a cake. It felt unfinished,” Butler wrote. “I wish I’d had more time with him backstage — but as Ozzy used to say: ‘Wish in one hand and shit in the other, and see which comes first.’”

Their journey began in the late ‘60s, when Osbourne showed up barefoot on Butler’s doorstep looking to join a band. “He knocked, I opened the door and just said, ‘Okay, you’re in.’ That was the start of everything.”

Through the highs and lows, Butler said the original four members — Ozzy, Tony, Bill, and himself — were “inseparable brothers in arms,” held together by an “invisible link.” Even during Ozzy’s solo years, the bond remained.

“To me, Ozzy wasn’t the Prince of Darkness — he was the Prince of Laughter,” Butler wrote. “He’d do anything for a laugh. And despite the feral legend — the bats, the doves, the Alamo — he had a heart of gold.”

He recalled how, when Butler’s son was born with a heart defect, Ozzy called every day to check on him. “Even though we hadn’t spoken in a year, he was there. That was Ozzy.”

Their final reconnection came thanks to an Aston Villa commercial in 2024, which reunited them after years of silence. “That was the first time I’d seen or spoken to him since 2017,” Butler shared.

The bassist closed his tribute by acknowledging the outpouring of love shown at their final concert and after Ozzy’s passing.

“I’m so thankful we had that last night together in front of fans who adored him,” he wrote. “So many came to pay homage to the man, not just the legend.”

“There’s so much more I could say — a million little stories. But how do you sum up a friendship like that in a few paragraphs? God bless, Oz. It’s been one hell of a ride. Love you.”

Osbourne’s bandmates have all shared tributes since his death. Tony Iommi called the news “heartbreaking” and wrote, “There won’t ever be another like him.” Bill Ward added, “Where will I find you now? You’re forever in my heart.”

Osbourne’s legacy, forged in heavy metal and friendship, leaves behind more than music — it leaves behind memories, laughter, and a brotherhood that helped define a genre.