Musically and generationally, Billy Corgan and Ozzy Osbourne were worlds apart. As frontman of alternative rockers The Smashing Pumpkins, Corgan’s voice was the soundtrack to a type of angst very specific to the ’90s. Meanwhile, Ozzy and Black Sabbath led a kind of sonic backlash to a global moral panic ushered in by the highly-publicized Manson murders. And yet, Black Sabbath’s influence is all over The Smashing Pumpkins, particularly in the soaring guitar riffs.
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Osbourne died at his Los Angeles home on July 22, 2025. Just 17 days earlier, Corgan had paid tribute to him during Black Sabbath’s epic Back to the Beginning concert. And the “1979” singer said he’d love to see the event become an annual one.
Billy Corgan Remembers Ozzy Osbourne’s “Indomitable Spirit”
A Black Sabbath fan since boyhood, Ozzy Osbourne’s final show was understandably emotional for Billy Corgan. In a social media post, the Chicago native, 58, described “whooping in sheer exultation” and “weeping silently” during the July 5 concert.
Although billed as Ozzy’s final show, none of us truly believed it would be this final. Sitting down with Loudwire Nights host Chuck Armstrong, Corgan reflected on the legacy left behind by the Prince of Darkness.
“We didn’t listen because we thought he was, you know, Aleister Crowley reincarnated. We listen because he’s one of us,” the alt-rocker said. “He took us along for this ride… He was our friend, he was our mentor, he was our north star.”
Continuing, Corgan added, “The music is the expression of the spirit, not the other way around. He couldn’t have made that music if he didn’t have that indomitable spirit.”
Corgan Wants To Go “Back to the Beginning” Again
Billy Corgan joined many other musical heavyweights, including Metallica and Steven Tyler, in sending Ozzy Osbourne off during “Back to the Beginning.” And the “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” warbler doesn’t want to see it end there.
During several interviews this week, Corgan proposed the idea of music’s “best and brightest” coming together on an annual basis to keep Ozzy’s “indomitable spirit” going.
“The love for this band and this singer is so unique. Let’s take that energy and drive it forward, so every year, once a year, there’s this… almost like a pilgrimage,” Corgan told Armstrong.
He added, “Ozzy’s name doesn’t need to be kept alive. What I’m saying is, keep the spirit alive of that event.”
Featured image by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
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