Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath Raised $190M for Charity in Emotional Farewell Concert
via N Voice65 / YouTube
A Historic Night in Birmingham
Ozzy Osbourne’s final show was more than just a farewell—it raised $190 million (£140 million) for charity. The event’s musical director, Tom Morello, confirmed the amount after the massive “Back to the Beginning” concert held at Villa Park in Birmingham.
Now 76, Osbourne has been dealing with health issues for years, including Parkinson’s. Despite that, he promised fans one last performance. He reunited with his bandmates from Black Sabbath to headline the event, which also included Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and other major names in heavy metal.
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A Global Event With a Cause
The concert was streamed live around the world and reached an audience of 5.8 million people. All proceeds went to Cure Parkinson’s, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Acorn Children’s Hospice.
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, who served as musical director, shared a picture of Osbourne performing from a throne. His Instagram post read: “‘Back to the Beginning’ More than 190 million dollars will be donated to houses and hospitales [sic] for children.”
Morello continued by saying, “Boom. We set out to not just create the greatest day in the history of heavy metal.”
Morello Reflects on the Experience
He also thanked Osbourne for the opportunity. “THANKYOU [Ozzy Osbourne] for trusting me to be the Musical Director of the ‘Back to the Beginning’ show. It was over a year of hard work but heavy metal was the music that made me love music and it was a labor of love.”
The night marked a powerful sendoff for Osbourne while making a major impact for causes close to his heart.
