Sharon Osbourne has officially set the record straight regarding the total funds raised by the “Back To The Beginning” farewell concert for her late husband, Ozzy Osbourne. On the latest episode of “The Osbournes Podcast,” Sharon debunked widely circulated and “ridiculous” reports that the July 5 event raised nearly $200 million, clarifying the actual gross figure was $11 million.
The massive, star-studded event—which featured Ozzy’s final solo performance and an appearance by Black Sabbath—prompted reports from outlets like Billboard and The Guardian, as well as a social media post from musical director Tom Morello, suggesting the concert and its pay-per-view stream had generated upwards of $190 million (£140 million) for charity.
Speaking with her children Jack and Kelly on the podcast, Sharon dismissed those figures as pure fantasy.
“If one show could have raised… I mean, [the articles were saying] it was up to, like 190 million. It’s, like, any artist, just do one big show, film it and you can retire just on one show. No, it was nowhere near, and I wish that it was, but we are living in reality, in the real world.”
When Jack asked what “Back To The Beginning” actually raised, Sharon provided the real number and explained how the event was produced.
“It raised 11 [million]. But with the cost, ’cause we paid the cost of bringing everybody in, everybody out, accommodation, everything. [And] no one got paid. Nobody asked for a penny. They gave their time, their efforts, everything for free. People were just — oh God — so generous.”
The lineup for the Villa Park show included Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, and many others who flew in to honor Ozzy.
This was not Sharon‘s first attempt to correct the narrative. In a Pollstar interview conducted just five days before Ozzy‘s passing, she expressed frustration over the false numbers.
“It’s just ridiculous, the different stories. I went on the internet the next morning and it was like, $140 million, $160 million. And I’m like, Where does this stuff come from?”
At the time, she also expressed concern over the unrealistic expectations the reports set for the beneficiaries: Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice, and Cure Parkinson’s.
“Oh my God! It’s the Children’s Hospital, a children’s hospice, and Parkinson’s research,” Sharon told Pollstar. “Everybody thinks that they’re going to cure everything with this much money, but it’s not the real world.”
Despite the clarification on the final amount, Sharon reiterated on the podcast that the event was a “phenomenal” success and the “perfect way” for Ozzy to say goodnight to his fans.
