Ozzy Osbourne’s widow Sharon Osbourne has spoken about his farewell concert, Back to the Beginning, which was held in Birmingham just two weeks before he died last month
The late Ozzy Osbourne’s widow Sharon Osbourne has shared a comment that he made about his fans before his death. She’s also revealed how his final concert fulfilled an ambition for her when it came to his decades-long career.
It was announced last month that Ozzy had died, aged 76, on July 22. The news came just over two weeks after he had reunited with his former Black Sabbath bandmates for his farewell gig Back to the Beginning in Birmingham on July 5.
Sharon, 72, opened up about the concert in an interview, published this week, that took place just five days before her Ozzy’s death. It comes after Sharon Osbourne broke down in tears at Ozzy’s funeral in heartbreaking scenes.
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Whilst speaking to Pollstar on July 17, Sharon said that, on the night of the concert at Villa Park, Ozzy had expressed surprise over the amount of support he had received. She told the outlet that they sold 40,000 seats at the stadium itself, though the one-off gig was also livestreamed.
She recalled: “He turned around and he said to me that night, he said ‘I had no idea that so many people liked me’.” When asked why he would have felt like that, Sharon said that her husband had “always” lived in his “own bubble”.
Sharon described Back to the Beginning, which is set to be released as a concert film next year, as a “huge success”. She said that it proved to be a “phenomenal event” and reminded that it was raising money for three charities.
She suggested that it’s the first time that an artist has gone into retirement with a livestreamed charity gig. Sharon said in the interview published earlier this week: “So it’s the first time anybody has said goodnight like that, it’s the perfect way, when you’ve had such a long career, to end it.”
The former X Factor judge, who was once Ozzy’s manager, added that she had always wanted her husband to retire with a “big event”. Sharon told the outlet: “I never wanted Ozzy to just disappear without some big event.”
She said that it was the “best way” to retire. Sharon said that it brought him “home” to Birmingham “where it all started” and was at his favourite stadium, which is home to his “beloved” Aston Villa. She said that it was “just perfect”.
The build-up to the concert is set to feature in the upcoming documentary Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, which is due to be released by the BBC on August 18. The project, which initially followed Ozzy and Sharon as they moved back to the UK, was filmed over three years.
It’s been described as a “moving and inspirational account of the last chapter of Ozzy’s life,” with the broadcaster adding that it features the late singer and his family. They are said to be seen dealing with his ill-health and preparing for his final performance in the one-hour film.
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