Tony Iommi Recalls His Last Conversation With Ozzy Osbourne: He Was Gone the Next Day
Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi looked back on Loudwire Nights on his final phone call with Ozzy Osbourne the night before his passing, and also opened up about the hardest moment to watch during the Back To The Beginning show.
On the phone, Ozzy Osbourne told Tony Iommi he was "really tired, completely drained." Iommi just chalked it up to normal post-tour exhaustion, replying, "Of course you're tired, with all that stress and strain." The next day, he was gone.
Iommi recalled the conversation on Loudwire Nights, noting it took place the night before Osbourne's passing. He admitted he's still struggling to accept that his old friend is gone, saying "it feels like he's still there."
The call came less than two weeks after the Back To The Beginning concert. Held at Villa Park in Birmingham, the show marked the final performance for both Black Sabbath and Osbourne's solo career, as Osbourne passed away in July 2025 at the age of 76. Iommi said Osbourne was "genuinely thrilled" to have pulled off the show.
But standing on that stage that night wasn't easy for Iommi. He described watching Osbourne perform seated on his throne as "not the Ozzy I knew." For decades, their unspoken routine was for Osbourne to run around the stage, pull faces at Geezer Butler, then come over and make one at Iommi too, or go mess with the drummer—the four of them always finding something to laugh about up there. This time, Osbourne could only sit, and Iommi couldn't even see him due to where he was positioned, "it just felt strange." He was standing next to Bill Ward at the time, "but it was still an incredible moment, and I'm grateful we got the chance to do it, because God, we had no idea he'd be gone so soon."
Iommi also mentioned that the memories from rehearsals through the entire show will stay with him forever, "I'm just glad we did that show." He shared these reflections while promoting his first solo album in over 20 years, From The Dark, set to drop next month as a follow-up to his 2005 solo effort, Fused.
Following Osbourne's passing, Iommi wrote in a tribute: "I still can't believe it! My dear friend Ozzy is gone, just weeks after our Villa Park show. This news has broken my heart beyond words—there will never be another like him. Geezer, Bill, and I have lost our brother." According to his death certificate, Osbourne's cause of death was listed as a heart attack, with coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease also noted as contributing factors. His occupation was listed as "songwriter, performer, and rock legend."
