Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne & Geezer Butler Reunite for New Gig
Legendary heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne has a brand new gig — a lead role in a commercial for sportswear giant Adidas (while also giving a big shoutout to his favorite soccer club). In the video, Ozzy teams up with Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler to promote the new home kit (uniform) for Aston Villa, one of the oldest soccer clubs in England — and someone they both grew up supporting.
Black Sabbath, 1970: Bill Ward, Tony Iommi, Ozzy Osbourne, and Geezer Butler Chris Walter/WireImage
The one-minute footage, backed by the soundtrack of Sabbath favorite “Paranoid,” begins with Ozzy suggesting to Geezer that they play Villa Park, the club’s stadium in Birmingham, and Sabbath’s hometown. “As long as I’m on the left wing,” Geezer replies (a soccer position, not a political leaning). At one point, Ozzy, wearing the new Villa shirt, hilariously yells to his wife: “Sharon, where are my Preds (cleats)?” Later, as an announcer reveals the number of his Villa shirt — “Number 11, The Prince of Darkness” — Ozzy in his broad, Brummy (local) accent insists that he is “the biggest frontman to come out of Birmingham!” (In soccer terms, a frontman is the goalscoring striker).
The clip ends with Ozzie showing his true fan colors by yelling a crazed: “Up The Villaaaaaa!!”
Instant classic.
UP THE VILLA! 💜 pic.twitter.com/cDJTFniFM6
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) July 23, 2024
Both Ozzy and Geezer grew up close to Villa Park, and this summer, Butler joined Foo Fighters on stage at the stadium for their version of “Paranoid.”
Update on Ozzy’s Health & Tour Plans
In a May episode of his SiriusXM show Ozzy Speaks, the 75-year-old singer shared an update on his health after previously retiring from touring and stating he has “at best” 10 years left to live. Chatting with British rocker Billy Morrison, he said that after the discovery of a tumor on his vertebrae, he is undergoing stem cell transfers to treat his ailment. He noted that he doesn’t know the real impact of the procedure, but he isn’t interested in quitting and finding out anytime soon.
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Sharon Osbourne told The Mirror that Ozzy is planning two more shows to say goodbye “properly” to his fans — and the shows will be at his beloved Villa Park. She continued “His voice is still absolutely perfect. And all the time he has been off he still does his singing lessons. Even if you don’t like his music, you can’t not like Ozzy. We will do it in Aston Villa where Ozzy is from.”
Our fingers are crossed that the “Paranoid” singer can rock out one more time. Stay tuned!
Remind 
1968 Retrospective
January 2018
This special expanded issue celebrates all things pop culture in 1968.
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