Ozzy Osbourne Not Retiring? Black Sabbath Icon Planning New Music Post-Farewell Show

Ozzy Osbourne may be gearing up for his final show with Black Sabbath, but the 76-year-old metal legend isn't ready to put down the mic just yet.

Set to perform at the "Back to the Beginning" concert on July 5 at Birmingham's Villa Park, Osbourne has confirmed this will be his last gig with the band that pioneered heavy metal. But in a recent interview, he revealed that stepping off the stage doesn't mean stepping away from music entirely.

"I still enjoy doing my own work," Osbourne told Metal Hammer. "For the foreseeable future, I will keep on recording if the projects interest me. It's very important." He added that the connection with his bandmates remains strong after decades, "From the late '60s, we are probably one of the only bands where the original members are still alive and speaking with one another... it's an invisible bond that can't be broken."

New Music, Familiar Faces

Osbourne's 2022 solo album, "Patient Number 9," welcomed supporting collaborators including legends like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Tony Iommi, and Zakk Wylde.

He also isn't short on famous friends. The farewell show's guest lineup includes Metallica, Billy Corgan, Fred Durst, and members of Guns N' Roses and Korn.

Despite seven surgeries in recent years, including spinal procedures and a public battle with Parkinson's disease, Osbourne is determined to give everything he has. "I'm giving 120 percent," he said on Ozzy Speaks, his SiriusXM show. "If my God wants me to do the show, I'll do it."

Battling Demons, On and Off Stage

Osbourne was candid about the anxiety and self-doubt that still plague him before performing. "I will have done the show and died a death before I even started my exercises," he admitted. He recalled a past show in Las Vegas where nerves nearly derailed the performance: "I talked myself into blowing the gig. It was only two f***ing songs."

To prepare for the Birmingham show, Osbourne is under close medical supervision. "I am having my blood pressure taken 15 times a day," he said. "It's endurance. The first thing that goes when you're laid up is your stamina."

Although uncertainties remain about whether his future shows will see him situated or stationed on the stage, the icon is intent on delivering an unfettered performance that fulfills the faithful with all that he has left to offer. "I'll be there, and I'll do the best I can," he told The Guardian. "So all I can do is turn up."

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Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath