Ozzy Osbourne bids farewell on his own terms in final gig

Ozzy Osbourne treated his farewell gig as an opportunity to say goodbye to the world on his own terms.

The Prince of Darkness, who spent most of his time with bandmates, family, and fellow musicians at the Birmingham show, prepared for his final performance alongside his band, Black Sabbath.

Though he had previously admitted to embracing the idea of death shortly after his final performance—saying he might actually die after the gig. It ultimately proved to be a moment of powerful closure for the late legend.

According to his friend, Megadeth star David Ellefson, it was “a way for him to say goodbye while he is still here.”

David said, “Obviously, we all knew the end was coming for Ozzy. I feel like this was the wake—a celebration of life for him while he was still here—rather than, ‘Oh, he passed. Let’s throw a concert now.’ It’s sad.

“Sharon really did a great job, and all the organizers, to do this for Ozzy, but also for him to say goodbye to us—or for all of us to say goodbye to him—while he’s still here. The way it all came together was just… it couldn’t have been any better, man.”

This comes just days after Ozzy’s sudden passing on July 22, five years after announcing he had Parkinson’s disease.