Yesterday, we said goodbye to the one and only Ozzy Osbourne; an icon and one of the true godfathers of heavy metal. Just a few weeks ago, the Prince of Darkness took his final bow doing what he loved most: performing for a sea of devoted fans. His sold-out farewell concert at Villa Park in Aston, Birmingham (his hometown) was nothing short of legendary.
Backed by an all-star metal lineup with the likes of Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and Steven Tyler (how about some backstage passes?), and numerous others, the historic show raised nearly $200 million for a range of charitable causes.
There was a powerful duality to the night, part celebratory, part mournful. Whether it was watching even the toughest of men openly weeping during “Mama, I’m Comin’ Home,” to Ozzy rallying the crowd to “go crazy one last time” as he tore through “Paranoid” with the original Black Sabbath lineup, every moment confirmed: this was truly the end of an era.
In memoriam, here are a few promotional images captured by the iconic rock photographer Ross Halfin when Ozzy and his band (pictured below with the Diary of a Madman era lineup: Randy Rhoads, Rudy Sarzo, and Tommy Aldridge) visited Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom:
— Icons with the icon; posing in front of Cinderella Castle.
— Lined up in front of Tomorrowland; do you think they took a spin (or five) aboard the PeopleMover?
— Over the [Space] Mountain. The band exits Space Mountain, riding the moving walkway past the stars.
— Ozzy and his band pose along the steps of Main Street’s train station.
Album inlay art for Ozzy’s tribute to Randy Rhoads includes this shot of the band sitting outside Magic Kingdom near Seven Seas Lagoon:
Rock in Peace, Ozzman.
“I guess that we’ll meet, we’ll meet in the end.”
