Rocker Tom Morello is shedding light on Ozzy Osbourne\u2019s final Black Sabbath show.<\/p>\n
The late metal god\u2019s friend, 61, shared that Osbourne knew Black Sabbath\u2019s Back to the Beginning concert<\/a> July 5 would be his last performance.<\/p>\n The Prince of Darkness\u00a0died July 22 at 76.<\/a><\/p>\n Metallica\u2019s James Hetfield and Ozzy Osbourne at Black Sabbath\u2019s farewell concert. Ozzy Osbourne\/Instagram<\/p>\n Morello reflected on being appointed the musical director for the\u00a0benefit concert\u00a0in Birmingham, England, by Osbourne and his wife,\u00a0Sharon<\/a>.<\/p>\n While on\u00a0Chicago\u2019s Q101<\/a>\u00a0radio Saturday, the guitarist for Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave described Osbourne as \u201cone of the all-time greats.\u201d<\/p>\n Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne backstage with Jason Momoa at the Black Sabbath concert. Ozzy Osbourne\/Instagram<\/p>\n Morello\u2019s goal with the concert was to put together \u201cthe greatest day in the history of heavy metal.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI laid out to make it a great show for fans and for them,\u201d he said, revealing that the band \u201cgot to play and feel the love not just from the bands, not just from the 40,000 people in the stadium but from people all over the world.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that he lived to play and feel that love and to one more time\u2026 You know, to do \u2018Paranoid;\u2019 to do \u2018Crazy Train.\u2019 If you have got to go \u2014 I mean, I wish Ozzy lived another 30 years \u2014 but if you\u2019ve got to go out, it really felt like he knew,\u201d Morello mused.<\/p>\n During the concert, Osbourne sat on a black throne while he\u00a0sang five songs solo. He was then accompanied by his former bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler for four final Black Sabbath tunes.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the day, a million things could have gone wrong, and maybe like three things did. But it felt like a spiritually great moment for all fans of rock and roll,\u201d Morello reflected. \u201cOzzy and Sabbath could not be more important to me personally as a fan and as an artist.\u201d<\/p>\n He called the rock star\u2019s death \u201ca tragedy,\u201d but said it was \u201ca miracle\u201d that Osbourne \u201clived as long as he did.\u201d<\/p>\n Ozzy during the Black Sabbath show. Ozzy Osbourne\/Instagram<\/p>\n \u201cOzzy Osbourne\u2019s lived a pretty on-the-edge lifestyle for a long time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Morello also felt the former reality star saw the concert as an opportunity to bow out on a high note.<\/p>\n \u201cHe had been frail for a while, but friends of mine saw him a week later. He was at another event in Birmingham a week later,\u201d Morello added.<\/p>\n Osbourne\u2019s family confirmed the news of his passing<\/a> in a statement to The Post last month.<\/p>\n Ozzy with Slash and Axl Rose weeks before his death. Ozzy Osbourne\/Instagram<\/p>\n They stressed that the heavy metal icon died \u201csurrounded by love.\u201d<\/p>\n According to a death certificate <\/a>obtained by\u00a0the Sun, Osbourne died from cardiac arrest<\/a>, acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery disease and Parkinson\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n Ozzy in 2010 in London. Getty Images<\/p>\n Osbourne was laid to rest\u00a0<\/a>near the lake of his Buckinghamshire home July 31. Around 110 people reportedly attended the private ceremony. Along with family members, Osbourne\u2019s\u00a0longtime guitarist, Zakk Wylde<\/a>, was also in attendance and led the mournful procession.<\/p>\n Ozzy at Madison Square Garden in 2010. WireImage<\/p>\n \u201cThe day was incredibly emotional,\u201d a source told\u00a0the Sun<\/a> at the time. \u201cPictures of Ozzy were dotted throughout the house and a photograph of him was given to everyone who attended to take home with them.\u201d<\/p>\n One day prior, a funeral procession<\/a>\u00a0was held in the streets of Osbourne\u2019s hometown of Birmingham, England.<\/p>\n Ozzy at the Alpine Valley Music Theater in 1982. Getty Images<\/p>\n His widow Sharon, 72, and their kids, Kelly, 40, Jack, 39, and Aimee, 41, along with Osbourne\u2019s son Louis, 50, joined thousands of fans in the streets to say their goodbyes.<\/p>\n Ozzy in 2015. Jonathan Leibson<\/p>\n The former Black Sabbath frontman confirmed his Parkinson\u2019s diagnosis in\u00a02020. Osbourne had also\u00a0undergone multiple surgeries<\/a>\u00a0in recent years.<\/p>\n Ozzy Osbourne Noah Calhoun\/Startraksphoto.com<\/p>\n