“I was so lucky to have spent most of my life with him,” said Terence “Geezer” Butler, remembering his longtime friend and bandmate, Ozzy Osbourne.
As fans around the world say goodbye to the legendary “Prince of Darkness,” Butler is grieving the loss of someone he fondly calls the “Prince of Laughter” — a nod to the joy Ozzy brought to their nearly six decades together.
Just weeks after Black Sabbath took their final bow in Birmingham, frontman Ozzy Osbourne passed away at 76 on July 22. In a heartfelt tribute for The Sunday Times, Butler opened up about their extraordinary journey — one that began in 1968 and ended with their last performance at Villa Park.
Butler, who grew up near Villa Park with Ozzy, reflected on how the stadium became a full-circle moment in their story. In 2024, Aston Villa (the local football team) reunited the band for an ad campaign — the first time Butler and Ozzy had seen each other since their 2017 farewell tour.
“So it felt right,” he wrote, “for Ozzy and Black Sabbath to close the circle where it all began — in Aston, at Villa Park, on July 5.”
Butler never imagined that night would be the last time he’d see his old friend.
Rehearsals began about a month before the final show. It started with just Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward. Things were a bit rusty — but then Ozzy arrived.
“I knew he wasn’t well,” Butler said, “but I wasn’t ready for how fragile he looked.”
Ozzy entered the room supported by two aides and a nurse, walking with a black cane studded with gold and precious stones — in true Ozzy fashion. He didn’t say much at first. When he sang, he sat in a chair. “We got through six or seven songs, but it clearly wore him out,” Butler remembered. “He was quieter than usual — not the Ozzy we all knew.”
The most emotional moment came at the end of the show.
“Normally, we’d all hug and take a bow together,” Butler said. “But Ozzy stayed on his throne, and we hadn’t really planned what to do. Tony shook his hand. I brought out a cake. But it all felt so strange — so final. I wish I’d had more time with him backstage, but… wishes don’t change things.”
As Ozzy himself used to say, Butler recalled with a smile:
“Wish in one hand and shit in the other — and see which one fills up first.”
Butler also reflected on their earliest days — back when Ozzy showed up at his front door barefoot. That was the beginning of Black Sabbath, originally called Earth.
“It turned into the most incredible journey of our lives,” Butler said. “And it all started with a barefoot kid at my doorstep, and me saying, ‘Okay, you’re in the band.’”