1948-2025

So this is the start of our feature on the website called Holte Enders In The Sky. We arguably couldn’t have found a much bigger name to begin with than The Prince Of Darkness.

With the stalwart support from his wife Sharon and his children Aimee, Kelly and Jack, he battled problems with drugs and drink but continued to be a big name, both with and without Black Sabbath.

In the early noughties, he was part of the MTV reality programme The Osbournes that was filled of love, entertainment and fun stuff. Anyone else remember the self named Prince of Darkness sitting at his kitchen counter peacefully ‘colouring in’!?

His Love for Aston Villa was kept relatively quiet until being part of the advert for the new Adidas kit in 2024. With the best known Black Sabbath hit ‘Paranoid’ being used, both he and Geezer featured in the advert.

Ozzy screaming Up The Villa and asking Sharon where his Predators were was a big hit with the fans. So much, that a tifo was used portraying Ozzy screaming ‘Up The Villa’ in the Champions League last season.

Ozzy fought many battles in his life and unfortunately when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, this was one he wasn’t going to win. Despite this there would be one more treat left for his adoring fans, at the famous Stadium near his birthplace.

Black Sabbath reformed with the original line up for the last time at the ‘Back to the Beginning’ concert.

This took place at Villa Park on 5th July and raised over £140 million for charities. As well as Black Sabbath, a number of heavy metal bands came to support the gig including Metallica, Slayer and Alice In Chains. None of these bands received payment, they gave their time to support Ozzy’s charities. Since his death many stories have come out about Ozzy’s kindness but of course he kept it on the down low so not to damage his ‘wild man of rock’ reputation. 

It was a fitting way to go out for the band and for Ozzy. His death on 22nd July aged 76, just 17 days after the gig, takes from us one of the great ‘Characters’ of rock and will no doubt leave a massive void in the lives of all who loved him. 

Many are hoping for the tifo to be brought back when the Premier League season begins for us against Newcastle United on Saturday 16th August and I couldn’t agree more.

So thank you Ozzy and I hope you have one hell of a party up there! I don’t think ‘resting in peace’ would be your style. 

Bedford Lions Member Colin Fairgrieve gives his views about the gig.

The Gig of my life 

Where to start, the whole day could not have gone better the bands on made it a never to be forgotten event. Little did any of us know in a Ozzy mad crowd the tragedy that would unfold a mere seventeen days later.

The love from every band for Black Sabbath and Ozzy rang through every performance and the day became a celebration of Sabbath, Ozzy, Aston and every now and again Villa and our beloved Villa Park.

As darkness approached the tension in the stadium was at boiling point as we got to the point where Ozzy appeared on the stage via an opening on the floor that raised him in his bat styled throne.

To all in the stadium it was very apparent that Ozzy could not stand in any way and just as we wondered how he would get through the night he drove the crowd into an absolute frenzy as he whipped up the whole stadium by declaring loudly “Let’s go f###in crazy” before the roof coming off as took us all on that Crazy train one last time.

He managed 5 songs in total as Ozzy and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house as he sang Mama I’m coming home. OZZY was back in Aston and clearly loving it.

Considering his obvious health issues his voice was remarkable and even the odd mad grin and staring eyes was still there which had the whole place in raptures.

Then the time had come for the original Black Sabbath line up to appear. This would be the last time we would ever see Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Lommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward on stage and they didn’t disappoint.

First up was the War Pigs, the Iron Man followed by my personal favourite all time Sabbath song N.I.B. and then the obvious final song the wonderful Paranoid.

Geezer Butler was now on his AVFC bass guitar, Bill Ward was stripped to his waist smashing the drums like a teenager, Tony’s guitar riffs and solos were as good as they have ever sounded and Ozzy, he was grinning like a school kid.

How did they pull that off at their age?

I guess true talent never leaves you and then the fireworks exploded over Villa Park, the place was buzzing everyone present knew they had experienced something over the last 11 hours that will never be repeated or beaten.

As we left knowing it would be Ozzy’s last show we had no idea he would be gone forever so quickly afterwards.

He never lost his Brummie humour, his sense of where he came from and always promoted Birmingham on the International stage which was reflected when we attended his funeral and huge crowds from all over the world converged on Broad Street 

God Bless Ozzy Osborne 

God Bless Black Sabbath 

God Bless Aston Villa 

All the Pride of Brum  

The Holte Enders In The Sky column will be used throughout this season. If you would like to make a suggestion for a famous person connected to Aston Villa or a commemorate the recent lost of loved one, or celebrate an anniversary of a family member, please send an email by clicking here using the subject HEITS.