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Sharon Osbourne has revealed her “backup plan” for the first time if her husband Ozzy Osbourne could not have occurred at the “Back to the Beginning” party concert in Birmingham. The emotional appearance took place just 17 days before Ozzy’s death on July 22, 2025 and marked the last chapter of the singer.
For the first time since 2005, the concert combined the original line -up of Black Sabbath – Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward – and became a historical moment for music history.
Ozzy, who had paused for years after several operations and health setbacks – including Parkinson’s – sat on a winged throne during the appearance, from which he played his soloset before shared the stage with the band.
A moment between triumph and fear
Ozzy Osbourne describes his fears before the performance in his posthumous book “Last Rites”, from which “The Times” published excerpts. “Three days after arriving in England, I was back in the hospital,” he wrote. “My blood pressure was too high, I stayed there for eight days. In the meantime, the show continued to grow. When I heard that Guns N ‘Roses, Metallica and Steven Tyler were announced, I only thought: Holy shit – that will be the live aid of the metal.”
The musician confessed to panic at night: “I can’t. I can’t do that.” Again and again he asked Sharon to prepare a video if he couldn’t appear. But Sharon stayed steadfast – she believed in him when he no longer did it.
“No playback, no video – just Ozzy”
As Sharon Osbourne reveals in the documentary and in the book, her plan was clear and uncompromising: “There will be no backup plan. No video, no recording. If you can’t sing that evening, just go to the stage, talk to the audience and thank you. All you have to do is: be ozzy.”
This attitude probably reflects Sharon’s role as a manager, partner and emotional support. She knew that the fans not only expected a singer – but the people who defined the heavy metal. Her trust was rewarded: Ozzy Osbourne mastered the appearance despite health limits and provided an emotional performance that is considered to be a worthy farewell.
A legacy on stage and in the heart
The “Back to the Beginning” concert was Ozzy’s first complete appearance since 2018 and at the same time his last. The evening became a moment of collective farewell for fans worldwide. After the death of her husband in August, Sharon Osbourne thanked for the “overwhelming love and support” and explained that she still had to “find her support”.
At the same time, the BBC documentary “Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home” shows the last months of the rocker from a family perspective. The film, which was initially moved, celebrated its TV premiere on October 2. Another production, “No Escape from now”, illuminates Ozzy’s last six years.