The co-founders of Black Sabbath paid tribute to their doomsayer-in-chief following the news of Ozzy Osbourne’s death at age 76 on Tuesday.

Black Sabbath formed in 1968, when four lads from Birmingham— Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away on July 22, 2025, at age 76 —came together to change music forever. With a dark sound and darker lyrics, the group created what we now know as heavy metal.

Ward has an on-and-off history with Black Sabbath and was the only original band member who did not play on their final album, 13, which was released in June 2013. The album, which was the English rock band’s first studio release in 18 years, featured Osbourne, Iommi, and Butler with drummer Brad Wilk of Rage Against the Machine.

As Ward issues a heartfelt thank you to his bandmates and fans, Sabbath’s guitarist admits he likened the drummer’s appearance when topless to an emaciated hobbit

Bill Ward has nothing but gratitude to show following the final Black Sabbath performance at the Back to the Beginning concert. What Bill Ward Said About Black Sabbath’s Final Show Ward was back behind the drums for Black Sabbath for the first time since 2005 when the band wrapped things up at Villa Park in Birmingham,

Bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi, lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, and drummer Bill Ward were all between the ages of 18 and 20 when they began playing together in Birmingham. Naming themselves after an Italian horror film in early 1969,