Sharon Osbourne has called recent reports about the charity proceeds from BLACK SABBATH’s “Back To The Beginning” farewell concert “just ridiculous.”
The landmark event, held July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, was widely hailed as the greatest heavy metal concert ever staged. It featured Ozzy Osbourne’s final performance alongside sets from METALLICA, SLAYER, GUNS N’ ROSES, TOOL, and many others. The show’s musical director, Tom Morello, posted an Instagram photo of Ozzy overlaid with the statement, “More than 190 million will be donated to houses and hospitals for children.”
Soon after, Billboard claimed the concert had raised $190 million, while The Guardian reported that the pay-per-view livestream reached over five million viewers, generating an estimated $150 million in revenue. All proceeds from the livestream were pledged to Acorns Children’s Hospice, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, and Cure Parkinson’s.
However, speaking to Pollstar, Sharon poured cold water on the figures. “One of the things that’s frightening me is all this false press about how we’ve made $140 million and all of this,” she said. “God, I wish we could have — for one gig. It’s just ridiculous. I went on the internet the next morning and it was like, $140 million, $160 million. Where does this stuff come from?”
She explained that it will take at least six weeks to finalize the actual total, factoring in expenses for all the participating artists. When interviewer Ray Waddell pointed out that such inflated reports might mislead the benefiting charities, Sharon agreed. “Everybody thinks they’re going to cure everything with this much money, but it’s not the real world.”
Despite the confusion, Sharon declared the farewell a triumph: “It was phenomenal… the perfect way to end such a long career. I never wanted Ozzy to just disappear without some big event.”
Tragically, Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22, just weeks after the historic farewell concert in his hometown.
Osbourne died from a heart attack at his Buckinghamshire estate, with coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease listed as contributing factors, according to a death certificate filed in London by his daughter Aimée. A helicopter air ambulance was reportedly dispatched to his home around 10:30 a.m. that day.
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