Black Sabbath Drummer Bill Ward Makes First Statement Following Death of Ozzy Osbourne

Following statements by Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, Black Sabbath founding drummer Bill Ward has weighed in with his first posting since the death of Ozzy Osbourne.

Through the X social media platform, Ward shared an old photo of himself with Osbourne while reflecting in the comment, "Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls, no, you’re forever in my heart. Deepest condolences to Sharon and all family members. RIP Sincere regrets to all the fans. Never goodbye. Thank you forever. Bill Ward."

Bill Ward and Back to the Beginning

Back in 2011, Bill Ward was initially announced along with the other founding members of Black Sabbath for a farewell reunion tour. The legendary metal icons were also planning to work on new music as well. But a contract dispute between the drummer led him to leave the reunion plans before they got underway.

Black Sabbath's other three members - Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler - then proceeded to record their studio album 13 with Rage Against the Machine's Brad Wilk filling in on drums, while Ozzy's solo band drummer Tommy Clufetos handled the touring responsibilities.

Black Sabbath played what at the time was their final show in early 2017 while Ward never returned to the group.

But after Ozzy's health issues of recent years, he made it his goal to return to the concert stage once more and began floating the idea of a reunion in 2024 and sharing that his biggest regret was that Ward was not part of the final performance.

In early 2025, it was revealed that Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward would be reuniting one last time for their Back to the Beginning show that would serve as their touring farewell. The concert took place on July 5 in their hometown of Birmingham, England and concluded with Ozzy playing a five-song solo set followed by Black Sabbath's four-song closing set finale.

What Did Black Sabbath Play In Their Final Performance?

The big finish started with a five-song solo set from Ozzy that featured the songs "I Don't Know," "Mr. Crowley," "Suicide Solution," "Mama I'm Coming Home" and "Crazy Train."

After that, Ozzy was joined onstage by his Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward.

The band's final performance included Ozzy and his Sabbath bandmates performing a four-song set that included "War Pigs," "N.I.B.," "Iron Man" and "Paranoid."