Sharon Osbourne says doctors warned late husband Ozzy that farewell concert ‘would kill him’

Shania RussellThu, October 15, 2026 at 8:12 PM UTC

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Ozzy Osbourne at ‘Back To The Beginning’ concertCredit: Ross HalfinThe Black Sabbath rocker died 17 days after taking the stage at England’s Villa Park.Key Points -

Ozzy Osbourne took the stage for his farewell concert against the advice of six medical specialists.

“They said it would kill him,” recalled his wife, Sharon Osbourne.

The legendary Black Sabbath rocker was not deterred and performed for the first time in seven years, before a crowd of 40,000.

Ozzy Osbourne didn’t let anything stop him from rocking out on stage, one last time.

Last year, the legendary Black Sabbath rocker gave his final performance before a crowd of some 40,000 at England’s Villa Park in a farewell concert fittingly titled, Back to the Beginning. It was no easy feat and, according to his wife, Sharon Osbourne, went against the wishes of six medical specialists.

“They advised us not to do the show. They said it would kill him,” Sharon shared during a recent interview with Rolling Stone, explaining that her husband was in the hospital for one week prior to taking the stage. “We were all together and Ozzy said, ‘It’s not an option. It’s what I want.’”

Sharon said that Ozzy understood the health risks, but was determined to go forth with the show.

“He said, ‘I know I’m dying. If I miss a few months of my life, I want to go this way. This is what I want,’” she recounted. “It was his wishes and we went through it. He said to me, ‘Another six months, what’s it going to do for me?’”

Ozzy Osbourne’s last concert with Black SabbathCredit: Ross Halfin

The result was a 10-hour event — packed with tributes and screaming fans — that served as an ode to heavy metal and reunited Ozzy with the original Black Sabbath lineup for the first time since 2005. After Ozzy performed a seated solo set, he was joined by the founding members of the 1970s heavy metal band: guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Terence Butler (known as Geezer), and drummer Bill Ward. They performed four of their songs together, including hits “War Pigs” and “Iron Man.” Ozzy, whose health had declined in recent years, died 17 days later.

Sharon said her husband of four decades was “very, very emotional” in the days leading up to his performance.

“But you know what? It was beautiful too,” she added. “It was amazing. How lucky was he to go out that way? I say he went out like a Viking. It was the way he wanted.”

She continued, “Ozzy always used to say, ‘I’m one lucky motherf-----. Who else has had my life? I got everything I dreamed about.’ He had no regrets about anything. He knew what his destiny was. He chose it.”

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Sharon also emphasized how impressive it was that Ozzy managed to pull off the performance, given his poor health. By that point, the rocker had stepped back from live performance due to Parkinson’s disease impacting his ability to stand and walk. The performance saw him play solo for the first time in nearly seven years.

“We’re talking about a guy that had hardly any lungs left. He had emphysema. I don’t know how he did it,” she said. “But he did it, and it’s what he wanted. And in that way it’s glorious. It’s not sad.”

She said it was ultimately “a triumph” for him “to be surrounded” by friends, family, and adoring fans on that particular day, and said that it fueled him in his final weeks.

Sharon Osbourne with husband, Ozzy OsbourneCredit: Stefanie Keenan/Getty

“He just kept saying, ‘I did it. I did it.’ The next 17 days, he was so, so happy,” Sharon recalled. “He was just elated. He just couldn’t believe how everybody turned out for him. It was glorious to see how happy he was, because he’d been so depressed, so down.”

The Grammy winner died at 76 on July 22, after suffering a heart attack amid health issues, including Parkinson’s disease. Over a year later, fans around the world will be able to witness his final performance, courtesy of the concert doc, Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning. The documentary from director Ben Wainwright-Pearce condenses the farewell concert down to two-and-a-half hours, offering an emotional sendoff for the self-proclaimed Prince of Darkness.

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Asked how she believed Ozzy would react to the concert film, Sharon replied, “He would say, ‘How lucky am I?’ He goes, ‘I’m one lucky son of a bitch.’ And he knew it. He never took anything for granted, ever.”

Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back to the Beginning arrives in theaters on October 28.

on Entertainment Weekly

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”