Category: news

Sharon Osbourne says that she didn’t share doctors’ warnings about the potentially fatal consequences of her husband Ozzy Osbourne undertaking his farewell show with the other members of Black Sabbath.

Last week, in an interview with Rolling Stone, Osbourne revealed that doctors in England had strongly advised Ozzy not to perform at the Back To The Beginning show scheduled to take place at Villa Park in Birmingham on on July 5, 2025.

“They advised us not to do the show,” Ozzy’s wife and manager admitted. “They said it would kill him. We were all together and Ozzy said, ‘It’s not an option. It’s what I want.’ He said, ‘I know I’m dying. If I miss a few months of my life, I want to go this way. This is what I want.’ It was his wishes and we went through with it.”

Announced in early 2025, Back To The Beginning was put together as a final bow for both Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, following Ozzy’s retirement from touring in 2023 due to Parkinson’s disease and other health issues.

Staged a short distance from where the singer grew up in Aston, Birmingham, it featured a who’s who of heavy metal – including Metallica, Slayer, Guns N’ Roses, Mastodon, Tool, Anthrax, Lamb of God, Gojira and more – paying their respects to Ozzy and Black Sabbath, and generated money for local charities.

At a screening of the forthcoming Back To The Beginning documentary film in London last night, October 20, Sharon Osbourne revealed that the health professionals’ warnings weren’t shared with Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward ahead of the show, according to a report in Variety.

“The guys didn’t know how sick Ozzy was,” she told former Kerrang! and MOJO magazine editor-in-chief Phil Alexander during a Q&A session. “I mean, even my kids – we never told my kids. So nobody knew how sick he was.”

“He was just praying that his lungs would work and that he could sing.”

Osbourne also revealed that her husband was “flying high” after the success of the Back To The Beginning show.

“He was so happy,” she said. “Until the day he passed, he was still on that high. He was so excited, so thankful to everyone. It was just joyous for us to see him that way, because we hadn’t seen him that way in years. He was laughing, telling jokes again. It was brilliant.”

Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning will get a global cinema release on October 28.

Former Nightwish singer Floor Jansen appreciates her old symphonic metal band After Forever being able to make a brief comeback last year, but would stop short of describing it as a full reunion.

Talking exclusively to Metal Hammer recently, before her shock Nightwish exit was announced last week, the Dutch vocalist, who fronted After Forever from 1997 to 2009, fielded questions sent in by fans.

One user, posting via Facebook, asked how Jansen feels about After Forever reuniting for two shows in The Netherlands in 2025, with some original members and a different singer taking part.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s not an After Forever reunion,” Jansen answered. “It’s an After Forever cover band with original members. I’m part of that band and I’m not there. After Forever stopped many, many years ago. I now have a solo career and Nightwish.”

The singer then explained why she didn’t join the reactivated group: “Because I’m far over my head in work as it is. After Forever is in the past. I like that many people enjoy the music once again, so great, do it. But don’t call it a reunion without the actual original singer and songwriter.”

Founded by guitarists Mark Jansen (no relation) and Sander Gommans in North Brabant, Netherlands in 1995, After Forever started as a death metal act but switched to a more operatic sound after Floor joined. They made five albums together – their final, a 2007 self-titled effort, reaching number six on the Dutch charts – but broke up in 2009. Floor joined Nightwish as a touring singer in 2012, replacing Anette Olzon, then became a full-time member in 2013.

In 2018, Floor told FaceCulture that she thought After Forever ended before their time. “I was not too pleased with stopping,” she said. “I did not think it was a good idea. I think there was [more to do].”

While Floor toured and recorded with Nightwish, singing on three studio albums, guitarist Mark (who split from the lineup in 2002) formed symphonic metal outfit Epica, who’ve had seven albums chart in the Dutch top 10. After Forever returned and played two comeback shows in October 2025, with new singer Angel Wolf-Black replacing Floor.

Floor’s Nightwish departure was announced on October 15. The band said that the parting was a mutual decision and that they will continue working on their upcoming 11th album as planned, with studio time booked for 2027. It’s not yet clear who will replace Floor.

Meanwhile, Floor is focusing on her solo career and will release her second album, Hytress, on January 15. The singles Run and Bring Me Silence are out now. She has European and Central and South American tour dates booked for next year. See details and get tickets via her website.