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Watch Aston Villa FC pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne before their first game of the new season
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- Watch Aston Villa FC pay tribute to Ozzy Osbourne before their first game of the new season
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Aston Villa FC have paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at their first game of the new football season.
The Black Sabbath singer played his very last show at the club's home ground, Villa Park, on July 5, just 17 days before his death at the age of 76.
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Villa honoured Ozzy at their home game against Newcastle at the ground on Saturday August 16 with a video tribute following the players' warm-up ahead of the 12.30 kick off. The teams walked out to footage of Ozzy performing Crazy Train at the Back To The Beginning show
Bostin' Brass, the band who performed at Ozzy's funeral procession in Birmingham, also played brass-style versions of the singer's solo hits and Black Sabbath classics in the stadium's 'fan zone', while the club opened a book of condolences. in the club store,
The club have commissioned a mural on the outside wall of the nearby Holte Pub, featuring an image of the singer and the words 'Ozzy Forever'.
The cover of the official matchday programme also features a tribute, with an illustration of a figure resembling the Prince Of Darkness walking up the steps to the ground wearing a No.9 shirt with the word 'Ozzy' above it.
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Ozzy grew up on Lodge Road in the Birmingham suburb of Aston, less than a mile away from Villa Park. "I was born in Aston and spent my childhood watching carloads of people going to the Villa football matches," he told The Athletic in 2024.
Villa teams have previously walked out to both Paranoid and the original version of Crazy Train . In 2024, Adidas launched a limited edition Aston Villa shirt featuring the names of Ozzy and Sabbath bassist/diehard Villa fan Geezer Butler on the back.
"My absolute favourite colours in the world have always been purple and black,'" Ozzy said in a statement at the time. "It's been Black Sabbath colours for over 50 years. Tony, Geezer, Bill and I look at this as a huge honour. UP THE VILLA!!"
The Back To The Beginning show took place at Villa Park on Saturday, July 5 and featured a line-up that included Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool and more, as well as a finale featuring sets from both Ozzy and Black Sabbath.
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Ozzy died at his home in Buckinghamshire on July 22. The cause of death was given as a heart attack, though he had suffered from health issues for several years.
His bandmates and fellow musicians paid tribute to the singer in the wake of his death. "Geezer, Bill [Ward] and me have lost our best friend," said Tony Iommi, while Butler wrote on Instagram: "Goodbye dear friend – thanks for all those years- we had some great fun. 4 kids from Aston – who'd have thought, eh? So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston."
In a statement before Saturday's tribute, the club said: "Aston Villa is proud to remember Ozzy Osbourne, a music legend, and his connection to our club."
