Ozzy Osbourne’s deteriorating health came as a shock to his bandmate Geezer Butler before the Black Sabbath farewell show on July 5.
Ozzy Osbourne’s deteriorating health came as a shock to his bandmate Geezer Butler before the Black Sabbath farewell show on July 5.
The Black Sabbath bassist shared details of Osbourne’s final performance, including how “frail” he had become, in an essay for the Sunday Times. Butler said the iconic rocker needed the assistance of three people while rehearsing and had to sit down while he sang.
“I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was,” Butler wrote. “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.”
“He didn’t really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair,” Butler continued. “We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs.”
Butler also observed that Osbourne was not as talkative.
