Jack Osbourne reveals in the podcast why Tony Iommi was the only one Ozzy listened to – and what happened at the final sound check before the farewell concert.
Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne died on July 25, 2025. Not only does the rock world miss him sorely, but – of course – his family too. Now his son Jack Osbourne revealed a detail about his father’s musical work during his lifetime.
Special connection between Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi
Jack Osbourne appeared on the latest episode of Billy Corgan’s podcast The Magnificent Others. He talked about his father Ozzy Osbourne. Apparently, when it came to musical work, there was only one person who could really get through to him to improve him or point out things.
That person is former Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi – the only person who could supposedly really challenge the late singer. Jack Osbourne said: “There’s always been an interesting dynamic between my father and Tony, and I’m not saying anything that people don’t already know.”
Special moment before Ozzy Osbourne’s final performance
This dynamic was particularly evident before the heavy metal singer’s final performance. On July 5, 2025, Black Sabbath and other guests from the world of rock came together to accompany Ozzy Osbourne at his “Back to the Beginning” farewell concert. In the podcast, Jack Osbourne talked about how nervous his father was before the concert.
During the sound check, Tony Iommi then criticized Ozzy’s singing: “He was at sound check, so he wasn’t at his best. He just wanted to make sure everything was working and went through the set. Tony said, ‘Hey, you’re singing kind of flat.'” This comment apparently upset the “Prince of Darkness”.
Jack Osbourne added: “My mom said, ‘Oh, you know Dad…’ And I said, ‘No, I think that’s good, because out of the 40,000 or however many people in that stadium, Tony was the only one who could say to my dad, ‘Hey, do better,’ and I think everyone needs someone like him.”
Click here for the podcast episode:
A band like a family
Finally, Jack Osbourne compared the relationship between Ozzy Osbourne and his band members to that of brothers – even if they had difficulties with each other at times.
