Geezer Butler Remembers the Heartbreak That Came With Firing Ozzy Osbourne

Selling over 70 million albums, Black Sabbath solidified themselves as the pioneers of heavy metal music. Consisting of Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler, and the iconic Ozzy Osbourne, the band watched as their fame continued to grow with each new album. Producing albums like Paranoid and Master of Reality, it seemed the band was unstoppable when it came to the recording studio. But although dominating the industry and airwaves, Black Sabbath struggled to control Ozzy and his love for drugs and alcohol. The partying eventually became too much for the group so they moved to fire Ozzy. And according to Butler, the moment was heartbreaking. 

Sitting down with the Bob Lefsetz podcast, Butler decided to discuss what it was like to fire Ozzy from Black Sabbath. Sharing the connection the band had with the original lineup, the musician insisted, “It was heartbreaking because we’d all grown up together. We fought against the odds together. We performed miracles, making the band successful. And it was heartbreaking. It’s like cutting your arm off.”

[RELATED: Why Ozzy Osbourne Told Rock and Roll Hall of Fame To Remove Black Sabbath’s “Meaningless” Nomination]

Geezer Butler Looks Back Decades Later

Although not wanting to fire Ozzy for the group, Butler believed it was necessary. “He definitely needed a change of lifestyle at the time. We were all doing drugs and boozing and stuff like that, but we could still function. Whereas Ozzy, he wasn’t functioning anymore. And we got this house in Bel Air to write an album. Ozzy just wasn’t interested in the music that we were doing.”

While standing behind the decision, Butler revealed Iommi was the first person to suggest firing the singer. “Eventually Tony says, ‘Ozzy’s got to go. He’s just not interested. The band’s not going to go anywhere if we keep on like this.’ And he says, ‘Actually I was a party the other night and I got talking to this guy called Ronnie James Dio, and he’s got an absolutely brilliant voice, and I think we should give him a go.’”

Able to look back on that moment, Butler concluded they did the right them, but he still insisted, “We hated doing it, but it had to happen for our sake and his sake. And it all worked out great in the end.”

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