Just days after the death of rock legend Ozzy Osbourne at age 76, fans around the world are honoring the Prince of Darkness not just for his music, but for the powerful final wish he made before his passing: to perform one last concert in his hometown of Birmingham, England.
Osbourne, who battled Parkinson’s disease and numerous health setbacks in recent years, had long expressed his dream of returning to the stage one final time. “If I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man,” he once said in a 2023 interview. That wish came true on July 5, 2025, when he reunited with his original Black Sabbath bandmates at a sold-out farewell concert at Villa Park.
The emotional performance was a gift to both Ozzy and his fans. Seated on a specially designed throne due to limited mobility, he delivered a powerful solo set before being joined by Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward to perform Black Sabbath classics one last time. The event raised over £140 million for charity and served as a celebration of Osbourne’s decades-long impact on rock and metal music.
Close friends and family say Ozzy “held on” just long enough to fulfill his last wish. His death, though heartbreaking, came with peace. In the words of his longtime friend and guitarist Tony Iommi, “He left this world exactly how he wanted—on stage, in Birmingham, surrounded by love.”
Fans continue to mourn, but Ozzy’s final act will forever live on as a testament to his undying love for music and the people who made it all possible.
