Tony Iommi has opened up about the final conversation he shared with his longtime Black Sabbath bandmate Ozzy Osbourne, revealing that the two exchanged messages just one night before the legendary singer died.
Speaking about Ozzy’s death and their decades-long friendship, Iommi admitted that the loss came as a huge shock. Although he knew his longtime friend had been struggling with his health, he never expected his condition to deteriorate so suddenly.
Iommi recalled receiving a text message from Ozzy the night before his death. Ozzy told him that he was not feeling well and was extremely tired, but to Iommi, it initially seemed like another ordinary check-in between two friends who had regularly discussed their health over the years.
The guitarist said their conversations had frequently revolved around asking how the other was feeling, particularly as both musicians had experienced serious health challenges. Because of that, he did not realize that the message would become their final exchange.
“I didn’t expect him to go overnight,” Iommi recalled, describing his death as a “hell of a shock.”
The final conversation has taken on an even more emotional significance because it came only weeks after Iommi and Ozzy reunited with the original Black Sabbath lineup for the band’s farewell concert, Back to the Beginning, in Birmingham.
Ozzy performed from a throne during the emotional show as he dealt with significant health difficulties. Iommi later admitted that seeing his longtime bandmate performing while seated felt strange, particularly because Ozzy had traditionally been such an energetic presence on stage.
Despite his condition, Ozzy was determined to make the farewell performance happen. Iommi previously suggested that his bandmate may have been determined to complete the show as a final goodbye to his fans, although he acknowledged that he could not know exactly what Ozzy was thinking.
The pair had known each other since Black Sabbath was formed in Birmingham in 1968 and remained close friends throughout the decades that followed.
Their friendship extended beyond music. Iommi has recalled how Ozzy supported him during his own cancer diagnosis, while Iommi remained in regular contact with Ozzy as the singer dealt with his health problems.
Now, more than a year after Ozzy’s death, Iommi says he still struggles to fully accept that his friend is gone. He has spoken about seeing Ozzy in old videos and experiencing the strange feeling that his longtime bandmate is still around.
For Iommi, that final text was never intended to be a goodbye. It was simply another conversation between two old friends — which makes the memory all the more poignant now.
Ozzy Osbourne died on July 22, 2025, aged 76, surrounded by his family. His final Black Sabbath performance has since become a defining moment in the band’s extraordinary history, while Iommi continues to remember the man behind the legendary rock-star persona as a close friend he deeply misses.
