As the world continues mourning the late Ozzy Osbourne, also known as the “Prince of Darkness,” his Black Sabbath bandmate, Geezer Butler, took a moment to pay tribute to his lifelong relationship with Osbourne, while also opening up about how he was ahead of the final concert.
Butler wrote an article all about Osbourne for The Times titled, “Geezer Butler: Ozzy Osbourne was the Prince of Laughter.” At one point in the article, he recalled seeing the late singer at their first rehearsal together before the last show, writing, “Then it was time for Ozzy to join us. I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was.”
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“He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane — being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones,” Butler went on, noting that Osbourne sat in a chair the whole time and “he didn’t really say much.”
The bassist added, “We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old.”
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Butler talked a lot about the band’s journey together, from their founding to today, calling it “the most incredible journey of our lives,” before circling back to the final concert on July 5, saying, “I wish I’d had more time backstage with Ozzy, but wishes are redundant now.”
Despite the sadness, Butler was “so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans,” concluding his personal essay by saying, “God bless, Oz, it has been one hell of a ride! Love you!”
Related: Ozzy Osbourne Was Known as Heavy Metal’s Prince of Darkness, but He Was Also a Huge Fan of This Classic Band