In an essay for The Sunday Times, Butler revealed that in real life, Osbourne was the opposite of his onstage madman persona. “To me, Ozzy wasn’t the Prince of Darkness — if anything, he was the Prince of Laughter. He’d do anything for a laugh, a born entertainer,” Butler wrote.

Black Sabbath members Tony Iommi, Terence “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward each shared tributes to frontman Ozzy Osbourne following his death on July 22, 2025 remembering their early days together and expressing gratitude for their final gig together.

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.