He stayed true to Ozzy’s original while putting his own signature spin on it
Just 17 days after playing his final concert, music icon Ozzy Osbourne passed away. Surrounded by family and loved ones, he died on July 22 at his home in Buckinghamshire, England. He was 76-years old. Ozzy had recently performed one last time with Black Sabbath in their hometown of Birmingham as part of Back to the Beginning – an all-star tribute to Ozzy and Sabbath that featured the likes of Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, and more. In addition to the show, Ozzy got to see his daughter – Kelly Osbourne – get engaged backstage to her longtime partner, Slipknot keyboardist Sid Wilson.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” his family said announcing his death. “He was with his family and surrounded by love.”
As the news of Osbourne’s passing started to travel around the globe, it became all the more apparent just how much of an impact the Prince of Darkness had on heavy metal, and the music industry as a whole. When the announcement was made, tributes began pouring in from the likes of Elton John, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Zakk Wylde, and of course, Ozzy’s Black Sabbath bandmates.
At the time, Judas Priest stated: “Sharon, may God surround you and your beautiful family with love, peace, and light. Ozzy, you will never leave us.”
Recently at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, rising country star Ian Munsick paid the ultimate tribute to the Ozzman with a killer country cover of Osbourne’s 1991 smash hit “No More Tears.”
“We’re gonna pay tribute to one of the absolute rock legends that passed away not too long ago,” Munsick stated on stage. “So, without any further ado, ladies and gentlemen, let’s honor the one and only Ozzy Osbourne!”
The performance starts out with Munsick himself slaying Bob Daisley’s iconic bass intro. He’s joined by the rest of his band, including a fiddle that puts the cherry on top. Stream the official clip below now.
A native son of Wyoming, Ian Munsick accumulated over 1 billion global streams across just two albums – Coyote Cry and White Buffalo – and a host of accolades, including 19 awards and 14 festival selections for his documentary, White Buffalo: Voices of the West. Having painted a stampeding, spirited portrait of the American West with his sophomore album White Buffalo in 2023, Munsick is expanding on the concepts of the land, people, culture and stories that inspire him, on his most recent 20-track album, Eagle Feather, released on April 18, 2025. In addition to selling over 100,000 headlining tickets in 2024, Munsick also opened on select dates of Lainey Wilson’s Country’s Cool Again Tour and supported Morgan Wallen on select dates of his record-setting One Night At A Time Tour.
Munsick concluded his spring Horses Are Faster Tour in Nashville. He has been named an “Artist to Watch” by Spotify, CMT, Fender, MusicRow and most recently was named a Martin Showcase Artist. Standout duet “Long Live Cowgirls” (with Cody Johnson) off of White Buffalo hit No. 1 on SiriusXM’s The Highway Hot 30 Countdown, was named one of Amazon Music’s Best Country Songs of 2022 and recently received RIAA Gold-certification alongside “Long Haul” and “Horses Are Faster.” Fans of Ian Munsick will always find an open heart, natural awe and plainspoken honesty as he rides on, bringing the West to the rest.
Ozzy Osbourne’s estate released Ozzy’s final memoir, Last Rites, October 7 via Grand Central Publishing (US) and Little Brown Book Group (UK).
“People say to me, ‘If you could do it all again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? I’m like, Fuck no. If I’d been clean and sober, I wouldn’t be Ozzy. If I’d done normal, sensible things, I wouldn’t be Ozzy.”
In 2018, at the age of sixty-nine, Ozzy Osbourne was on a triumphant farewell tour, playing to sold-out arenas and rave reviews all around the world. Then: disaster. In a matter of just a few weeks, he went from being hospitalized with a finger infection to having to abandon his tour – and all public life – as he faced near-total paralysis from the neck down.
Last Rites is the shocking, bitterly hilarious, never-before-told story of Ozzy’s descent into hell. Along the way, he reflects on his extraordinary life and career, including his marriage to wife Sharon, as well as his reflections on what it took for him to get back onstage for the triumphant Back to the Beginning concert, streamed around the world, where Ozzy reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for the final time.
Unflinching, brutally honest, but surprisingly life-affirming, Last Rites demonstrates once again why Ozzy has transcended his status as ‘The Godfather of Metal’ and ‘The Prince of Darkness’ to become a modern-day folk hero and national treasure.
Last month, heavy metal titans Judas Priest reissued their epic cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” – this time featuring the one and only Ozzy Osbourne. Originally recorded and released back in July as a tribute to Ozzy and Sabbath ahead of their final concert in Birmingham, the track has been reissued with a special guest appearance by the Prince of Darkness himself. Judas Priest guitarist Glenn Tipton also contributed guitars to the record. Tipton revealed his Parkinson’s diagnosis back in 2018, and took a significant step back from touring. Despite his condition, he remains an official member of the band and is very active with the group.
In addition to streaming and digital download, the “War Pigs” single will be released on a special edition CD. It is slated for release on October 31. All profits of Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd and Epic Records in the UK from audio streams, downloads, and physical sales of the recording ‘War Pigs (Charity Version)’ will be donated to The Glenn Tipton Parkinson’s Foundation and Cure Parkinson’s.
This emotionally charged release unites the titans of British heavy metal one last time in a project born from friendship, mutual respect and a shared mission to fight Parkinson’s disease – a cause close to the hearts of both bands. Initially conceived as a tribute video for Ozzy and Black Sabbath after Judas Priest were unable to join them at the Aston Villa show due to prior commitments with The Scorpions’ 60th Anniversary show in Hannover, the project quickly grew in purpose and power.
When Judas Priest suggested turning the tribute into a full-blown charity single, the idea struck a chord with Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne. When she heard the initial release, she called up Judas Priest and pitched the idea of a version with new vocals from her husband, Ozzy. In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie, Priest frontman Rob Halford revealed how it all went down.
“She [Sharon Osbourne] approached me with this idea, she said, ‘I love your version of ‘War Pigs,’ is there a way we can get Ozzy [on it]?’ I was [like], ‘You’re asking me? This is gonna happen!'”
Halford continued, “So, you get Ozzy singing a line and then I’m singing a line and Ozzy’s singing a line and I’m singing a line. It’s the first ever time in my entire life that I’ve been able to do a duet with Ozzy and I’m so eternally grateful and blessed that I was able to do that.”
After his funeral services, Ozzy’s official cause of death was revealed. Among other health issues and injuries, Ozzy had primarily battled Parkinson’s since 2019. According to his death certificate that was released on August 5, it has been confirmed that the metal icon died of a heart attack with coronary artery disease. According to the New York Times, Ozzy suffered a medical incident, and an air ambulance was dispatched to his home to “provide advanced critical care,” spending two hours on the ground.
For the last few years, rumors have been swirling about a final Black Sabbath show featuring the band’s original lineup. Back in 2022, Ozzy Osbourne performed at the closing ceremonies of the Commonwealth Games. Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi joined him for Sabbath classics “Paranoid” and “Iron Man.” While it was a sight to see, it wasn’t quite full reunion fans were hoping for.
In 2023, Ozzy Osbourne was booked to headline the inaugural at Power Trip in California alongside Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Tool, and Guns N’ Roses. Unfortunately, Ozzy canceled his performance due to ongoing health issues. Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi would reveal that Power Trip organizers initially approached Sabbath about performing at the festival with the original lineup. The band declined the offer, citing Ozzy’s health as the main reason for not taking the gig. There’s also the issue of the fractured relationship between Ozzy, Iommi, and bassist Geezer Butler with dummer Bill Ward. Ward did not appear on the band’s final album or take part in their final tour due to contractual issues.
“It’s hard, because Ozzy’s been going through a lot of stuff lately,” Iommi told SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation host Eddie Trunk. “He’s in hospital and out of hospital, and he’s really been fighting it; he really wants to get out there. But in my mind, it’s very difficult to sort of say yes. I’ve gotta think of the people in the band as well. I’ve gotta think of Ozzy, if he’s gonna be all right to do a show and whatever. So I wasn’t that comfortable with it, but I didn’t know Ozzy would be doing it on his own. But it’s great. I hope he can do it and that it’ll be really good. He really wants to do it. And he’s really trying to pull to get himself back. He’s had to go through such a lot of hard stuff lately. It’s such a shame, really. But he’s still fighting there.”
Despite turning down Power Trip, Iommi never ruled out the possibility of a one-off Black Sabbath reunion.
“I’ve certainly done the Commonwealth Games with Ozzy, and that sort of happened, but to do a full show, you’ve gotta make sure everybody’s in good shape because people are gonna remember you by that show. And I don’t want our reputation to go downhill all of a sudden. If something goes wrong or somebody can’t make it and we have to cancel… ‘Cause I don’t know everybody’s health; I don’t know how Bill [Ward’s] feeling these days. You just don’t know. So I’d like to be sure. If you’re gonna do anything, it’s gotta be good or not bother.”
Contrary to Iommi’s recent comments, Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler seemingly ruled out any sort of Black Sabbath reunion in the future.
In his new memoir Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath – and Beyond, Butler opens up about his disconnect with Ozzy, and the band’s issues with Ward. Last week in an interview with Rolling Stone, Geezer put the cherry on top, saying of a reunion, “I don’t think Ozzy’s up for it, anyway.”
Now, the long-time dream finally came to fruition as the original lineup – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – played together for the first time in 20 years, and for the last time. The band took the stage to headline Back to the Beginning on 5 July at Villa Park.
The all-star event will celebrate the true creators of heavy metal and will see Ozzy Osbourne play his own short set before joining with Black Sabbath for his final bow.
“It’s my time to go Back to the Beginning…time for me to give back to the place where I was born,” Ozzy Osbourne said before the show. “How blessed am I to do it with the help of people whom I love. Birmingham is the true home of metal. Birmingham Forever.”
Additionally, the show will featured an incredibly stacked lineup of special guests including Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Pantera, Guns N’ Roses, Tool, Lamb of God, Alice In Chains, Mastodon, and Halestorm.
All profits from the show were shared equally between Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorn Children’s Hospice – a Children’s Hospice supported by Aston Villa.
The all-day event also featured a supergroup of musicians. Artists announced so far include Billy Corgan (The Smashing Pumpkins), David Draiman (Disturbed), Duff McKagan & Slash (Guns ‘n Roses), Frank Bello (Anthrax), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit), Jake E Lee, Jonathan Davis (Korn), KK Downing, Lzzy Hale (Halestorm), Mike Bordin (Faith No More), Rudy Sarzo, Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (Anthrax), Sleep Token ii (Sleep Token), Papa V Perpetua (Ghost), Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine), Wolfgang Van Halen and Zakk Wylde.