When Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath took the stage for the final time at the Back the the Beginning concert in England, they were joined by many of their heavy metal and rock peers. Some notable bands were missing, however, with Mötley Crüe founder Nikki Sixx now saying that his band couldn’t have played the show “even if we wanted to.”
In a recent interview with Billboard, Sixx opened up about Ozzy and the big show, explaining, “It was something we were just unable to do… We couldn’t do it even if we wanted to.” Sixx noted that Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil has been recovering from a medical procedure, which was related to a stroke he suffered in December.
Sixx then went on to say that, while he didn’t participate in the show, she did watch it and loved it. “And, man, I gotta tell ya — Ozzy, way to fuckin’ go out with a bang,” he said. “He really did it, and everybody showed up because they loved him and supported him.”
“Unfortunately, we don’t have him anymore,” he continued, “but we got one of the greatest rock stars of all time who came while we were here on this planet and went back to the fuckin’ stars, man. It’s like, ‘I came down there and I kicked some fuckin’ ass.’ Thank you, Ozzy, every day for the opportunity to have a career.”
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.”
The legendary metal singer’s last live performance was earlier this summer at the Back to the Beginning festival, a concert event celebrating his career both solo and with Black Sabbath.
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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