Ozzy Osbourne Hopes for one last Black Sabbath show with Bill Ward

In May of 2024, Ozzy Osbourne revealed his eagerness to play one final Black Sabbath show with drummer Bill Ward, who had dropped out of their planned 2012 reunion due to an "unreasonable contract." Ward has yet to respond to Osbourne. However, Tony Iommi, Ozzy's favorite guitarist, has weighed in on the potential reunion during an interview on SiriusXM's Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk.

Iommi acknowledged the public's perception that the band might reunite purely for financial reasons but asserted that this "wouldn't be" the case. He expressed interest in the idea, stating, "That’d be a nice thing to actually do, but whether it happens will be another thing. But we’ll see. I mean, who knows?"

Osbourne mentioned that he would "jump at the chance." While open to the possibility of a reunion, Iommi clarified that he wouldn't commit to any lengthy tours due to his age. "I have to look at it realistically at my age. I can’t go out and do a two-year tour like we were doing before," he explained.

"And to put something together like the original Sabbath or this or that or the other, you’ve gotta do it a long time because of the cost of everything." He concluded optimistically, "But it would be nice to do a one-off, if that ever happens."

Black Sabbath and the big goodbye

At the beginning of the year, Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager, disclosed plans for Osbourne to perform "two more shows to say goodbye" before fully retiring from live performances: "He won’t tour again but we are planning on doing two more shows to say goodbye as he feels like, ‘I have never said goodbye to my fans and I want to say goodbye.’"

She emphasized that Ozzy's voice remains "absolutely perfect" and that he continues to take singing lessons regularly. Osbourne, also known as the "Prince of Darkness," announced his retirement from touring last February, canceling his European and UK tour dates.

"If I can ever get back to where I can tour again, fine," he said at the time. In November, however, he mentioned to Rolling Stone UK that he might have to “accept the fact” that he may never perform again due to his ongoing health issues, including Parkinson's disease and recovery from multiple surgeries. It's sad to say, but it's reminiscent of The Who's Roger Daltry acknowledging that he's living on borrowed time.

Past the point of denial, but being optimistic

Reflecting on his condition, Ozzy said, "I’m taking it one day at a time, and if I can perform again, I will. But it’s been like saying farewell to the best relationship of my life. At the start of my illness, when I stopped touring, I was really pissed off with myself, the doctors, and the world. But as time has gone on, I’ve just gone, ‘Well, maybe I’ve just got to accept that fact.’"