At Villa Park on July 5, what would become Ozzy Osbourne’s final performance was filled with emotion, spectacle and heavy-metal history. But behind the scenes, during a quiet soundcheck, a brief, brutally honest comment from Tony Iommi revealed everything about the decades-long bond between the singer and his guitarist — and left a lasting impression on Ozzy’s son, Jack Osbourne.
The all-star farewell — billed as the final bow for Black Sabbath and its iconic frontman — featured emotional reunions and lingering storylines, including Jake E. Lee’s long-awaited return after decades of estrangement. But it was Ozzy’s death just weeks later, at age 76, that cast the night in an even more poignant light.
Speaking in the aftermath, Iommi said he believed Ozzy sensed the end was near — even as he quietly held out hope of making one more record with Zakk Wylde. Still, Iommi — who had privately worried about his bandmate attempting two full sets — wasn’t about to spare his old friend’s feelings.
“He was so nervous about making sure that they were happy and everyone was good,” Jack recalled while appearing on The Magnificent Others, hosted by Billy Corgan. “But he was also really happy about it. He was. He felt good.
“He was soundchecking, so he wasn’t going to go out there with his A-game on. He was just making sure everything worked and ran through the set. And Tony said, ‘Hey, you’re singing flat.’ And my dad got really pissed off. He was upset.”
Ozzy’s wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, brushed it off in the moment.
“Oh, you know Dad,” she told Jack.
At the time, Jack was taken aback. Only later did he fully grasp what the exchange really meant.
“I think it’s a good thing,” he said. “I think it’s a good thing because, out of the 40-whatever-thousand people at that stadium, the only person there who could ever say to my dad, ‘Hey, do better,’ was Tony. And I think everyone needs someone like that.”
Their relationship, of course, had never been simple. A resurfaced 1990 interview shows Ozzy still bitter about the manner — and perceived hypocrisy — of his 1978 dismissal from Sabbath. It wasn’t always smooth, but their connection endured. At Villa Park, Jack saw it plainly.
“Tony and my dad’s relationship had its times of being contentious,” he said, “but they were brothers. They were the closest family that anyone could ever ask for. They’ve done life together.
“As I look back on it, I’m like, ‘No, I think that that was okay to say,’ because they knew it was the last time. It was, ‘Get out there. Everyone needs to give it.’”
Corgan, who had worked with Iommi on the electric guitarist’s 2000 solo album and fronted the Smashing Pumpkins, said he witnessed firsthand how Ozzy’s success reshaped Iommi’s perspective.
“What really struck me was — I’m not saying he underestimated your dad, but I think he was as surprised by your dad’s success as anybody,” Corgan said. “He had this guy right there, and he thought, Oh, this is not working, and obviously they parted ways.
“And then when your dad went on to greater heights and greater heights, there was this feeling of, ‘How did my little brother climb that ladder?’ When I got to know Tony in the ’90s and 2000s, that surprise turned into a sort of admiration.”
Meanwhile, Lee has also reflected on his unlikely hiring — landing the Ozzy gig despite a disastrous audition — while Lita Ford has shared her own surreal experiences hosting the Prince of Darkness at a family holiday gathering.
