When Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne stepped out on stage in July for their final concert — the Back to the Beginning festival — the metal godfathers had chosen Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello to be the musical director of the event. It was here that Morello had his last conversation with Ozzy.
“This is the last time I saw Ozzy,” he said during a recent appearance on Rocklahoma, as transcribed by Loudwire. “The day is done. It’s been great, and people have been working on the show for a very long time, and we’re all hugging and crying. So we go to the afterparty and finally it’s mellow.”
Morello went on to recall, “I’m playing pinball with my son. And somebody taps me on the shoulder, and I’m in the middle of a multi-ball, and I’m like, ‘Get off me.’ And it’s Jack Osbourne because his dad wants to say hi.”
Finishing his game, Morello made his way over to where Ozzy was sitting and greeted the Prince of Darkness. “I’m like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ First of all, Ozzy comes to the afterparty, which is crazy, right? And so, I got to, one last time, kiss his head, tell him I love him, thank him for a lifetime of music.”
In true Ozzy fashion, the singer had a pretty hilarious reaction, with Morello remembering him saying something to the effect of: “Could you find Sharon? I want to get the fuck out of here.” Laughing about the moment, Morello quipped: “That’s the perfect coda to the day.”
Ozzy Osbourne passed away on Tuesday, July 22. He was 76. In a statement, the Osbourne family said, “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. He was with his family and surrounded by love.”
Ozzy had been living with Parkinson’s and faced multiple health issues over the last several years. His cause of death was ultimately ruled as being due to acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction are listed as associated factors.
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