The death of the forefather of metal, Ozzy Osbourne has been met with heartfelt tributes from musicians across genres, but none as heartfelt as those from the musicians who knew him best: Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Zakk Wylde.
Together with Iommi, Butler and Ward, Osbourne changed music forever with Black Sabbath when the quartet formed the band in Birmingham, England, releasing iconic songs like “Iron Man,” “War Pigs,” “Paranoid” and “The Wizard.”
20 years after Sabbath’s debut, during Osbourne’s equally iconic solo career, Zakk Wylde became his lead guitarist. In Wylde’s run-down North Hollywood apartment, the two men wrote Osbourne’s 1991 hit ballad “Mama I’m Coming Home,” the performance of which on the rock star’s farewell show has been shared by millions following news of his passing.
On Facebook, Bill Ward posted a picture of him with Osbourne during their initial run in Black Sabbath together in the 1970s.
“Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls, no, you’re forever in my heart. Deepest condolences to Sharon and all family members,” wrote the drummer. “Never goodbye. Thank you forever.”
Iommi wrote that he “can’t believe” his longtime collaborator and friend had passed so quickly after their farewell show at Villa Park, where they raised $190 million for local Birmingham hospitals and charities. While Osbourne had infamously been fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, they reunited in 1997 and released their final album together, “13,” in 2013. Osbourne and Iommi also worked on one final song, “Degradation Rules,” which was released in 2022 and won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance.
“It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother,” Iommi wrote.
“Goodbye dear friend- thanks for all those years- we had some great fun. 4 kids from Aston- who’d have thought, eh?” added Butler in his own post.
Wylde also reunited with Osbourne on his final album “Patient Number 9,” which also won a Grammy for Best Rock Album. His work with Osbourne led to the start of his own successful band, Black Label Society, the lineup of which also tours as a Black Sabbath cover band called Zakk Sabbath.
“Thank you for blessing the world with your kindness and greatness, Oz,” Wylde wrote on Instagram. “You brought light into so many lives and made the world a better place. You lived with the heart of a lion. I thank the good Lord every day for blessing my life with you in it.”