Tony Iommi has recalled his final conversation with Ozzy Osbourne, which took place the night before the music icon died.

The guitarist reflected on the grief he’d experienced for his former Black Sabbath bandmate during a recent interview on the Loudwire Nights podcast.

He spoke about the huge ‘Back To The Beginning’ event at Birmingham’s Villa Park, where both Sabbath and Ozzy staged their last-ever shows. The performances were held just over two weeks before the Prince Of Darkness passed away in July 2025, aged 76.

“He was really happy with it, that we could do it, you know,” Iommi said of the historic concert (via Music Radar).

The musician went on to discuss his last chat with Osbourne. “In fact, I spoke to him the night before he passed,” he remembered. “He said to me, ‘I really feel tired and really worn out’. I said, ‘Well, you’re bound to really, it’s been a lot of stress and pressure and stuff like that’. And the next thing, the next day, [he’s] gone.”

Iommi opened up about how he still struggles to believe that Osbourne is no longer around, saying: “It still feels like he’s there.”

He also said that he found some elements of the ‘Back To The Beginning’ show hard, because of the frontman’s ill health. “It was difficult because seeing Ozzy sitting in a throne is not the way I see him,” Iommi explained.

“Always [when] we’ve been on stage, he’s been running around, and he’d run up to Geezer [Butler] and pull a face jokingly and come over to me and pull a face or the drummer or whatever. We always had a little laugh on stage and enjoy when he’d run about.”

Iommi continued: “But at ‘Back To The Beginning’, of course, he’s in a throne, and I couldn’t see him, which felt very unusual. I stood back by Bill [Ward]. But it was a great moment, and I’m really glad we could get the opportunity to do it, because I mean, God, we didn’t know he was going to go that quick.

“But he did… There’s memories that will remain there, from rehearsals to the whole thing… I am glad that we could do that gig.”

Ozzy Osbourne at Black Sabbabth’s ‘Back To The Beginning’ in Birmingham. Credit: Ross Halfin

The guitarist was talking on the podcast in support of his first solo album in over 20 years, ‘From The Dark’, which is is out next month. It’ll follow on from his 2005 third record, ‘Fused’.

When paying tribute to Osbourne in the wake of his death last summer, Iommi wrote: “I just can’t believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park.

“It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family. Rest in peace Oz.”

Osbourne’s death certificate confirmed his cause of death to be a heart attack, while also citing coronary heart disease and Parkinson’s. The document listed his occupation as “Songwriter, Performer and Rock Legend”.

This summer, Sharon Osbourne revealed the advice her late husband had given her to remember him on the first anniversary of his death, as his former Black Sabbath bandmates paid tribute again.

That same day, the first-ever official ‘Ozzy Day’ took place in his home city of Birmingham. His son Jack urged fans to share memories about his dad, saying he wanted to “fill the entire day of July 22 with just awesome Ozzy stories”. The star’s daughter Kelly also spoke about how she was coping one year on, saying she didn’t “just mourn the father I lost. I mourn the soul I was before [his] death”.

Jack confirmed earlier this year that a biopic about his parents Ozzy and Sharon is “absolutely” happening, and is slated for a 2028 release. He’d previously revealed that a “phenomenal” lead actor was attached to the film.

In other news, the venue for Ozzfest 2027 has been officially announced. Meanwhile, Sharon has reiterated that the planned AI-powered avatar of her late husband is not about cashing in on his legacy. Universal Studios is launching two Ozzy-inspired haunted houses, too, saying it will help “grow his licensing program around the world”.

The post Tony Iommi recalls final conversation with Ozzy Osbourne: “The next day, he’s gone” appeared first on NME.