The Chilling Thing OZZY OSBOURNE Said In 2023 That Predicted His Own Death
Summary
- In 2023, Ozzy Osbourne said he’d be happy to die after one final show, and did exactly that 17 days later.
- The July 5 concert in Birmingham reunited the original Black Sabbath lineup for the first time in two decades.
- Battling Parkinson’s and severe spinal issues, Ozzy fulfilled his wish to thank fans one last time.
Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary frontman of Black Sabbath, died on July 22, 2025, at age 76. The world lost one of rock’s most iconic voices, but some fans are still thinking about what he said two years earlier that now feels like an eerie prediction.
In 2023, Ozzy spoke to Rolling Stone UK about his health and future. He was dealing with Parkinson’s disease, spinal injuries, and the effects of years of heavy touring. His goal, he said, was simple: just one more show.
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He didn’t want a grand comeback or another tour. He wanted closure. A proper goodbye. A single chance to stand in front of a crowd and say thank you.
“If I can’t continue doing shows on a regular basis,” he said, “I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, ‘Hi guys, thanks so much for my life.’ That’s what I’m working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I’ll die a happy man.”
Seventeen days after getting his wish, Ozzy was gone.
One final show
On July 5, 2025, Ozzy took the stage for the last time at the Back to the Beginning concert in Birmingham, England. It was the first time the original lineup of Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward, performed together in over 20 years.
The event was streamed globally and viewed by more than 5 million people. Fans from across generations tuned in to witness a band that helped shape heavy metal as we know it.
Ozzy, weakened by illness and surgeries, kept his promise. He played a short solo set and then rejoined his bandmates one last time. That night, Black Sabbath said goodbye to their hometown and to each other.
His words in 2023
Looking back, Osbourne’s 2023 interview reads less like a wish and more like a quiet farewell.
He expressed frustration about not having the chance to thank the fans who supported him for decades. “That’s one of the things I’ve been the most @#$%! pissed off at: I never got the chance to say goodbye or thank you,” he told Rolling Stone UK.
“Because my fans are what it’s all about. If I can just do a few gigs… They’ve been loyal to me for @#$%! years. They write to me, they know all about my dogs. It’s my extended family really, and they give us the lifestyle we have.”
To him, this was about gratitude. It was about leaving on his own terms.
Years of health struggles
Osbourne had been open about his condition. A 2003 quad bike accident damaged his spine. A fall in 2019 made things worse. Multiple surgeries followed, including one in 2023 that found a tumor on his vertebrae.
“It’s really knocked me about,” he said. “The second surgery went drastically wrong and virtually left me crippled… with the last one they put a @#$%! rod in my spine.”
He was candid about how hard it had been, both physically and mentally. His balance was affected. He could no longer tour like before. But he didn’t give up.
Sharon Osbourne, his wife, spoke about how painful it was to watch. “It’s been nearly five years of heartache, and at times I’ve just felt so helpless and so bad for Ozzy,” she said.
Closure on his own terms
Back in 2023, Geezer Butler had hinted at a final show being in the works. Ozzy had already said he’d “jump at the chance” to play again with Sabbath, especially in their hometown.
He also said he felt “sad” that Bill Ward hadn’t been part of the band’s final 2017 performance.
This time, though, they were all together. For one night, the original four were back where it all started.
It wasn’t just for nostalgia. It was personal. Ozzy wanted that moment, and he got it.
A legacy carved in stone
Ozzy leaves behind Sharon, his six children, and a career that spanned more than five decades. He sold over 100 million albums.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, once with Black Sabbath in 2006, and again as a solo artist in 2024.
His voice helped define a genre. His antics shocked and amused. His vulnerability, especially in later years, only made him more human.
He once said in a 2002 interview with Rolling Stone:
“I’ve done a lot for a simple working-class guy. I made a lot of people smile. I’ve also made a lot of people go, ‘Who the @#$%! does this guy think he is?’”
“But I’ve got no complaints. At least I’ll be remembered.”
And he was right.
R.I.P Legend 🤘
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