Following the death of Ozzy Osbourne in July, tributes have poured in from every corner of the music world. Now, his lifelong friend and Black Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler has shared his own poignant reflections in a new piece for the October 2025 issue of the UK’s Uncut magazine.
In the written tribute, Butler opened up about the atmosphere surrounding the band’s historic final performance at the “Back To The Beginning” concert in Birmingham earlier this summer. He suggested that Osbourne seemed to sense his time was short, even as he made plans for the future.
“At the final show [at ‘Back To The Beginning‘ in early July], [Ozzy] was much quieter than I’d ever known him,” Butler wrote. “Looking back now, I think he knew he wasn’t long for this world, but not that he’d leave it so soon. He was looking forward to spending his days back in England.”
Despite the singer’s frailty, Butler expressed immense thankfulness that the original quartet—Butler, Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, and drummer Bill Ward—managed to reunite one last time in the city where it all began.
“I am so grateful that we were able to play one final show together, the original four of us, back in our home town,” Butler continued. “He held on so he could do that gig, to say farewell to the fans. He was very emotional. It was so important to him to say goodbye after illness had prevented him from touring for the past six or seven years. He wanted to see his fans one final time, play with his own band and with Sabbath one last time.”
Butler concluded his writing by looking past the “Prince of Darkness” persona to honor the man he had known for nearly six decades.
“The outpouring of tributes and respect from all walks of music and the love from the fans has been amazing. He was larger than life and his legacy will live forever. He may have been The Prince Of Darkness, but for me he was a family-loving, soft-hearted, best friend anyone could ever have.”
The tribute in Uncut complements comments Butler made recently on the “Gabbing With Girlfriends” podcast, hosted by his wife and manager, Gloria Butler. During that appearance, the bassist offered a behind-the-scenes look at the reunion, revealing that he and Osbourne had repaired a years-long estrangement caused by a fallout between their wives. Leading up to the show, the two had resumed texting daily, rekindling a friendship that dated back 57 years.
However, the reality of Osbourne‘s health during rehearsals was a stark shock to the bassist. Butler recalled seeing the singer helped into the room by assistants and needing an armchair to sit in while singing.
“The only shocking bit was when Ozzy came in. I knew Ozzy was very ill, but I didn’t realize how ill he was,” Butler said on the podcast. “Ozzy could only do it once, could only rehearse, go through the songs one time and then he’d leave and we’d sort of carry on.”
Despite the physical limitations, the chemistry returned instantly. The band performed four songs at Villa Park for over 40,000 fans, just 17 days before Osbourne passed away.
“I’m so glad it happened like that, that we finished on such a great note,” Butler concluded.
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