Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler, 76, has shared a deeply moving tribute to his bandmate and friend Ozzy Osbourne. In an essay for The Sunday Times, he recounted their 57-year friendship, from the band’s founding in Birmingham in 1968 to their final show just weeks before Ozzy’s passing on July 22, at age 76.
Final Gig Reveal: Frailty and Farewell
“We rehearsed a month ahead with just Tony and Bill,” Butler wrote. “I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was.” Ozzy arrived supported by two aides and a nurse, and used a cane—“black and studded with gold and precious stones.” He sat to sing and grew exhausted after just six or seven songs.
Butler added, “The strangest part of that show was the end. Normally we’d hug and bow—but Ozzy sat on his throne.” He described Tony shaking Ozzy’s hand and Butler giving him a cake onstage, calling it a “strange feeling to end our story like that. I wish I’d had more time backstage with Ozzy.”
Brotherhood Through Decades: From Barefoot Beginnings to Lifelong Loyalty
Butler reflected on their surprising first meeting—Ozzy arrived barefoot at his door, and Butler instantly declared, “Okay, you’re in the band.” The group became “inseparable brothers in arms”—an “invisible link” among the four members he called “unbreakable.”
He emphasized Ozzy’s character: “To me, Ozzy wasn’t the Prince of Darkness—if anything, he was the Prince of Laughter. He’d do anything for a laugh.” Even after years apart, Ozzy stayed connected: “When my son was born with a heart defect, Ozzy called me every day to see how I was coping—even though we hadn’t spoken for a year.”
Butler concluded: “Nobody knew he’d be gone little more than two weeks after the final show. But I am so grateful we got to play one last time together.” He signed off: “God bless, Oz, it has been one hell of a ride! Love you!”