(Credits: YouTube Still / Paramount Plus)
Wed 13 August 2025 17:23, UK
Former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant has explained why he rejected an invitation to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s farewell show last month.
Less than three weeks before Osbourne sadly passed away in Buckinghamshire on July 22nd, the rock icon reunited with Black Sabbath and took to the stage for the final time in his hometown, Birmingham. The perfect send-off also saw Osbourne play a solo set, although he was forced to perform from a throne due to mobility issues.
In addition to Black Sabbath and Osbourne’s sets, the Back to the Beginning extravaganza, which was all in aid of charity, saw rock heavyweights such as Metallica, Tool, Guns N’ Roses, Steven Tyler, Billy Corgan, and Travis Barker take to the stage.
Like Black Sabbath, Plant was a product of the Midlands music scene in the late 1960s, and knew the heavy rock pioneers on a personal level before either were famous due to playing the same pubs.
However, during a new interview with Mojo, Plant revealed why he rejected an invite from his old friend Tony Iommi to be in attendance at Villa Park, sharing, “I said, Tony, I’d love to come, but I can’t come.”
He expanded: “I just can’t. I’m not saying that I’d rather hang out with Peter Gabriel or Youssou N’Dour, but I don’t know anything about what’s going on in that world now, at all. I don’t decry it, I’ve got nothing against it. It’s just I found these other places that are so rich.”
Following Osbourne’s death, Plant took to social media to share his condolences and pay tribute to rock’s fallen hero, writing, “Farewell Ozzy … what a journey … sail on up there .. finally at peace .. you truly changed the planet of rock.”
Last week, the Black Sabbath singer’s daughter, Aimée Osbourne, submitted his death certificate in London, which confirmed the heavy metal pioneer passed away following a cardiac arrest. She also listed her father’s occupation as “songwriter, performer and rock legend.”
On July 31st, he was buried by a lake on his sprawling family property in Buckinghamshire, as he had requested, in a private service attended by close friends and family. A day prior, fans came out in their droves for his funeral procession in Birmingham, which reduced the Osbourne family to tears at Black Sabbath Bridge on Broad Street.
On August 18th, the BBC will air the new fly-on-the-wall documentary Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, which was filmed over the last three years of his life.
Related Topics
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.