Overview

• In excerpts from his posthumous memoir Last Rites, published in The Times, Osbourne wrote that he feared he might be too ill to sing at the July farewell and asked to prepare a video replacement.
• The book quotes Sharon Osbourne as refusing a contingency, telling him there would be no backup or prerecorded material and that he should speak to fans if he could not sing.
• Osbourne ultimately performed seated at Birmingham’s Villa Park on July 5 during the Back To The Beginning event, joining Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward for their first set together since 2005.
• The July appearance marked his first full gig since 2018, following years of serious health issues including Parkinson’s disease, back surgeries, infections and blood clots detailed in the memoir.
• Osbourne died on July 22 at 76, with reports citing heart failure and coronary artery disease on his death certificate, and the BBC’s Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home aired on October 2 as another film, No Escape From Now, is announced to follow.