BREAKING: Black Sabbath GUITARIST Tony Iommi C…read more.
Tony Iommi is still trying to make sense of a world without Ozzy Osbourne. Just days after the Black Sabbath frontman is laid to rest in an emotional ceremony in Birmingham, Iommi speaks publicly about how deeply the loss affects him.
“I go to text him and then I remember he’s not there anymore,” Iommi says quietly. “It’s instinct. I see something he would’ve laughed at, or something I want to ask him, and then it just hits me all over again.”
The two legendary musicians have shared more than five decades of music, memories, chaos, and reconciliation. As co-founders of Black Sabbath, they pioneer a genre, inspire generations, and survive more than their fair share of inner demons. For Iommi, Ozzy is more than just a singer or collaborator he is family.
“I’ve lost a brother,” he says. “And not a day goes by that I don’t feel that ache.”
The death of Ozzy Osbourne sends shockwaves through the music world. Fans across the globe gather in mourning, lighting candles, holding tribute concerts, and blasting Sabbath classics from balconies and car radios. But for Iommi, the loss is personal and painfully real.
“I still expect him to ring,” he admits. “He’d call at strange hours. Half the time just to talk nonsense, really. Or ask about a riff he remembered from 40 years ago. That’s all gone now.”
Osbourne’s funeral, held at the historic St. Martin’s Church in Birmingham, is intimate but powerful. Family members, close friends, and a few select industry figures attend, while thousands of fans line the streets outside, some sobbing, some singing, all paying tribute to the man they knew as the “Prince of Darkness.”
During the service, Iommi delivers a touching eulogy one that mixes sorrow with laughter. He recalls stories from the early Sabbath days: sneaking into pubs with fake IDs, sleeping on floors, getting thrown off tours, and somehow always managing to find each other again.
“We had fallouts, sure,” Iommi says. “We went years without speaking at times. But the bond never broke. We always came back to each other.”
Iommi reveals that he speaks to Osbourne just days before his death.
“He was weak, yeah, but he was still Ozzy. Still taking the mick out of me. Still cracking jokes. He told me, ‘Don’t cry too hard when I go I’m not worth it, you grumpy sod.’ That was typical him.”
Since the funeral, Iommi admits that music feels like a stranger to him.
“I walk into my studio, and there’s silence,” he says. “Normally, I’d hear his voice in my head, yelling, ‘Play that again!’ But now it’s just empty.”
Despite the grief, Iommi finds comfort in the outpouring of love from fellow musicians. He mentions calls from Bruce Dickinson, James Hetfield, and Dave Grohl each one offering stories and condolences.
“Bruce said Ozzy changed his life. James told me Black Sabbath gave him a purpose. And Dave? He said Ozzy once gave him the best advice he’d ever heard and it was totally incoherent.”
As the world mourns, Iommi begins to consider how best to honor Ozzy’s legacy. A tribute concert is already being discussed, possibly featuring some of the biggest names in rock and metal.
“If we do it,” Iommi says, “it has to be done the right way. It has to be loud, chaotic, and full of love. Just like Ozzy.”
For now, he’s taking things one day at a time letting himself feel the weight of the loss and remembering the man behind the legend.
“He wasn’t just the ‘Prince of Darkness,’” Iommi says. “He was kind, funny, generous, and real. He gave everything to the music and to the people who loved him. And I was lucky enough to call him my mate.”
As he speaks, Iommi pauses and looks down.
“I still pick up my phone,” he says softly. “Then I remember… he’s not there anymore.”
