Though he’s remembered by hard rockers as the Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne is known to Black Sabbath bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler as the Prince of Laughter. In an emotional essay penned in The Times U.K., the bandmate recalled his decades-long friendship with the heavy metal pioneer, recalling the formation of the seminal group and their final days at rehearsal.
On July 5, the group reunited fully for the first time in two decades, along with guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward, to perform to a crowd of 40,000 in Aston, Birmingham’s Villa Park, the birthplace of the band in 1968. The star-studded, livestreamed affair was led by self-described Black Sabbath obsessive Jason Momoa and featured recorded tributes from famous fans like Dolly Parton and Elton John. All proceeds from Back to the Beginning — totaling nearly $200 million — were donated to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns Children’s Hospice, in acknowledgement of Osbourne’s diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in 2019.
“I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was,” Butler recalled of the band sessions leading up to the farewell concert. “He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane — being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones. He didn’t really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair. We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old. After a couple more weeks we were ready for the show.”
He continued, “To me, Ozzy wasn’t the Prince of Darkness — if anything he was the Prince of Laughter. He’d do anything for a laugh, a born entertainer. I first became aware of him when I’d walk home from all-nighters at a rock club called the Penthouse, in Birmingham. I had long hair down past my shoulders and looked like a hippy. Ozzy would be on the other side of the road on his way from the soul all-nighters in Brum, with his cropped hair and mod suit. Complete opposites of each other. Little did I know then that within a year we would form what would become Black Sabbath and create a whole new form of rock music.”
Recalling the early days of Black Sabbath, long before Birmingham became the inflection point for heavy metal, Butler wrote, “Our first gig ended up in a massive brawl. Being from Aston, you had to know how to defend yourself, and certainly Ozzy and Tony in particular were no strangers to fighting. We became inseparable brothers in arms, always looking out for each other. People always thought Ozzy was a feral wild man, but he had a heart of pure gold. Most of his infamous antics — the bat saga, biting the head off a dove, pissing on the Alamo, snorting lines of ants, and the rest — came in his solo years, away from the restraints of the Sabbath crew. But if you were a friend in need, Ozzy was always there for you. When my son was born with a heart defect, Ozzy called me every day to see how I was coping, even though we hadn’t spoken for a year.”
Concluding his essay, Butler stated, “Nobody knew he’d be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show. But I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans. The love from the fans and all the bands, musicians, singers and solo artists that night was incredible. Everyone had come to pay homage to the Prince. I am so privileged to have spent most of my life with him. Of course there are millions of things I will think of that I should have written, but how can I sum up 57 incredible years of friendship in a few paragraphs? God bless, Oz, it has been one hell of a ride! Love you!”
The legendary rock musician, solo artist and reality TV star died at the age of 76 on July 22, roughly two and a half weeks after his charity concert. His death was mourned by the rock world and fellow music industry peers like John, Metallica, Pearl Jam, Billy Idol and more.
