Last week was a difficult one, and the grief continues to weigh heavily following the passing of Ozzy Osbourne on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. Kelly Osbourne has been sharing heartfelt tributes via her Instagram Stories, offering a personal look at her bond with her father. If you haven’t seen them yet, they’re worth watching.

While there’s still much to process and more tributes to come, we continue to add as many as we can in our Honoring Ozzy feature, along with Tony Iommi’s reflection. Over the last weekend, a handful of moments unfolded. From a touching fan memorial at Birmingham’s Black Sabbath bench to a surge in Ozzy’s streaming numbers, Geezer Butler’s statement, a moving tribute by Chelsea Wolfe, Pantera postponing shows to grieve, and more, here are some of the latest ways the world continued to honor the Prince of Darkness.

01) Fans turn Birmingham’s Black Sabbath Bench into a memorial

Over the weekend, fans gathered at Birmingham’s Black Sabbath Bench, near the Black Sabbath Bridge, to honor Ozzy Osbourne. The New York Times reported that flowers, candles, and handwritten tributes lined the bench, with messages ranging from “Birmingham forever – Ozzy, you rock!” to “Gracias Ozzy!” The site, engraved with the names of Ozzy, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi, and Bill Ward, became a powerful tribute to the icon in his hometown.

02) Ozzy and Black Sabbath streams surge following his passing

In the days after Ozzy Osbourne’s death, fans turned to his music in massive numbers. According to The Hollywood Reporter, his solo Spotify listeners surged by 6.3 million (from 12.4 million to 18.7 million), while Black Sabbath’s jumped nearly 5 million (from 19.8 million to 24.6 million). “Crazy Train” alone added 8 million streams, with “No More Tears” jumped to 7 million, and “Mama, I’m Coming Home” raised to 7.2 million. Black Sabbath classics like “Paranoid” and “War Pigs” saw major spikes, as the world continues to honor Ozzy’s legacy.

03) Geezer Butler reflects on Ozzy’s final show and their last moments together

In a heartfelt piece for the UK’s The Sunday Times, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler opened up about Ozzy Osbourne’s frail condition during rehearsals for their final performance at Villa Park on July 5.

On rehearsing with Ozzy, Butler expressed:

“I knew he wasn’t in good health, but I wasn’t prepared to see how frail he was. He was helped into the rehearsal room by two helpers and a nurse and was using a cane — being Ozzy, the cane was black and studded with gold and precious stones. He didn’t really say much beyond the usual greetings and when he sang, he sat in a chair. We ran through the songs but we could see it was exhausting him after six or seven songs. We had a bit of a chat, but he was really quiet compared with the Ozzy of old.”

Though visibly exhausted, Ozzy powered through the set, marking what would be his last live show. Butler wrote, expressing deep gratitude for their final time on stage and 57 years of friendship.

Butler added:

“Nobody knew he’d be gone from us little more than two weeks after the final show. But I am so grateful we got to play one last time together in front of his beloved fans. The love from the fans and all the bands, musicians, singers and solo artists that night was incredible. Everyone had come to pay homage to the Prince. I am so privileged to have spent most of my life with him. Of course there are millions of things I will think of that I should have written, but how can I sum up 57 incredible years of friendship in a few paragraphs? God bless, Oz, it has been one hell of a ride! Love you!”

04) Chelsea Wolfe honors Ozzy with acoustic “Changes” cover at Fire in the Mountains

During her acoustic set at this year’s Fire in the Mountains festival in Montana, Chelsea Wolfe paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne with a stirring rendition of Black Sabbath’s 1972 ballad “Changes.” Performed on Friday (25) at the Red Eagle Campground in the Blackfeet Nation, Wolfe reflected on the moment:

“Honoring Ozzy last night in windy Montana. I’ve always loved this song and singing along with Ozzy’s melodies. rest in peace & power, thank you.”

05) Daron Malakian: “It feels like that day was the day that metal died”

System Of A Down’s Daron Malakian reflected on Ozzy Osbourne’s death in an emotional interview with Rolling Stone, calling July 22 “the day that metal died.”

Malakian explained:

“I hate to say this, but it feels like that day was the day that metal died. You have the King of Pop, the Queen of Pop, the King of Rock & Roll, and Ozzy’s like the King of Metal. Him passing away, it feels heavy.”

The guitarist/vocalist shared memories of how crucial Ozzfest was to his band’s early rise, describing it as a heavy metal “summer camp” that helped launch SOAD’s career.

He reflected:

“‘Ozzfest‘ was like a heavy-metal summer camp. We were still touring in an RV on the first one [1999], but those early Ozzfests for me were some of the best times of my fucking life. It was huge for us, and it was a big deal for me. When we played our first ‘Ozzfest‘, we were on the second stage, and we would sometimes play at 11 o’clock in the morning. It wasn’t like how festivals are now. It was like a traveling circus. It was a tour that went from city to city.

I was just in awe of the people that were around me. Motörhead was headlining the second stage. Lemmy had this old, turquoise Eagle tour bus. One time I saw him sunbathing next to the bus with turquoise Speedos on. That’s all he had on. I’ll never forget that. Another time, I talked with Motörhead drummer Mikkey Dee, who used to play with King Diamond, and I told him how much I liked those albums. He’s like, ‘Oh, wow. I haven’t even thought of that for such a long time.’ And then you would see Ozzy walk by here and there.

My dreams were coming true. I’m just sitting here having conversations with these people that I used to see in music videos or they were on my wall when I was a teenager. And there I am with my band.

It was an honor to be part of the roster of bands for those shows. I’ve always had confidence in System Of A Down and myself, even from the club days. We stood out from all the club bands. We became the biggest club band on the Sunset Strip. Then once we got signed, it was, “Now you’re on tour with Slayer.” Then, “Now you’re at the ‘Ozzfest‘. Now these are the big boys. Now you’re going to write some songs and you’re going to perform to where you’re going to stand out with the greatest.”

I felt like we belonged there. Did I walk onstage at ‘Ozzfest‘ and say, “Hey, we’re fucking the shit”? No. We had something to prove. Every day we got on that stage, and we proved it. And I think people saw that. Obviously, we’re still here. And ‘Ozzfest‘ was a party, too. We would be done early because we were playing at 11, 12 o’clock, so we had all fucking day at the ‘Ozzfest‘ every day. I was 22, 23 years old, so I’ll let you imagine what that was like for me. So we had golf carts, and we’d go pick up chicks with the golf carts. It was just partying.

On our second year doing ‘Ozzfest‘, we opened the main stage. We were not playing in front of packed amphitheaters, because we were the opening band. It wasn’t like all the seats were full yet. But even if the amphitheater was less than half empty, we got up there and we left it all on the stage. Once again, we were done very early. You’d watch the bands, or you’d hang out with somebody on their bus. You’d get stoned. Then Ozzy would come on at night. I would always watch from the stage right where Zakk would be playing.

Here’s the funny story: In those days, at the end of ‘Sugar‘, I would take off my pants. So, ‘In the end, it all goes away,’ and my pants were down, and my ass was showing. So one day, we were playing, and John decided to join me. At the end of the show, we got up in front of the audience and we’re buck naked. We just did things. Don’t ask why.

Soon after that, John and I got called into the production office. And the lady that worked under Sharon was fucking pissed. She looked at us and goes, ‘Who the fuck do you guys think you are? You think you could get up in front of people and just be naked like that? You know we can get sued for indecent exposure.’ In my head, I was like, ‘This is the ‘Ozzfest‘. I thought that would be OK here.’ But she’s like, ‘This is not System of a Down Fest. When it’s the System of a Down Fest, you guys could do whatever you want, but this is the ‘Ozzfest‘.

Then a year or two later, we headlined the ‘Ozzfest‘ and Ozzy wasn’t even playing that year. Sharon was battling cancer; Ozzy didn’t play every night. There were a few shows Ozzy played, but we were the headliners every night. John and I were like, ‘Wait a second, can we get out there naked every night now?’

We saw headlining ‘Ozzfest‘ as a huge accomplishment. And people showed up, too. It wasn’t like, ‘It’s not ‘Ozzfest‘. What the fuck?” It was a packed house every night. So think about that: We started the second stage, 11 o’clock. Moved up and then got to be the headliner. ‘Ozzfest‘ was huge for us. It was such a big push for our band. I’m very grateful to Sharon, very grateful to Ozzy.

In between those Ozzfests, we saw our audience grow. I’m sure you could say the same thing for Slipknot or other bands. Ozzfest was a perfect fit for us because it was metal, and there was a metal scene happening at that time. A lot of the bands that we played with on the Sunset Strip in L.A. Coal Chamber, Incubus, Static-X, were on the ‘Ozzfest‘. It gave us exposure. Every day you were in a different city and got audiences that might have not seen you otherwise to see you, and you were there to convert them into fans. I couldn’t give you a percentage of the fans we converted, but it was huge. ‘Ozzfest‘ was a huge deal for System of a Down.”

06) Pantera postpone shows to mourn Ozzy Osbourne

Pantera have announced a pause in their touring schedule to grieve the loss of Ozzy Osbourne. Guitarist Zakk Wylde, Ozzy’s longtime collaborator, joined the Prince of Darkness for his final solo performance on July 5 at Back to the Beginning. Pantera also honored Ozzy that night with Black Sabbath covers. Since Ozzy’s passing, the band has adjusted their recent sets to include tribute visuals and a live performance of “Planet Caravan.” They confirmed via social media on Friday (25th) that they would be stepping back to process the loss of the metal legend.

Pantera issued the below statement:

“Ozzy wasn’t just a legend who shaped the very foundation of heavy metal and inspired Pantera from the beginning — he was family. A mentor, a brother, and a constant presence in our lives both on and off the stage. The bond we shared with him ran far deeper than music.

In light of this profound loss, we need time and space to grieve — to be with our families, our crew, and each other as we process and honor the life of someone who meant so much to us.

Out of respect, and to allow members of our team the time to mourn, we will be rescheduling the following shows:

July 28 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Tuesday, September 9

July 31 – Holmdel, NJ – Monday, September 8

Due to the above, the following dates will be canceled. If you purchased through Ticketmaster, refunds will be issued automatically; there is nothing further ticketholders need to do. If you purchased from a third-party reseller (StubHub, SeatGeek, VividSeats, etc.), please reach out to your point of purchase.

July 29 – Gilford, NH

September 8 – Birmingham, AL

September 10 – Virginia Beach, VA

We appreciate your understanding during this difficult time.”

 

Zenae Zukowski

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