Black Sabbath formed in 1968, when four lads from Birmingham— Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, Geezer Butler and Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away on July 22, 2025, at age 76 —came together to change music forever. With a dark sound and darker lyrics, the group created what we now know as heavy metal.

Bill Ward has nothing but gratitude to show following the final Black Sabbath performance at the Back to the Beginning concert. What Bill Ward Said About Black Sabbath’s Final Show Ward was back behind the drums for Black Sabbath for the first time since 2005 when the band wrapped things up at Villa Park in Birmingham,

Bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi, lead singer Ozzy Osbourne, and drummer Bill Ward were all between the ages of 18 and 20 when they began playing together in Birmingham. Naming themselves after an Italian horror film in early 1969,

Butler played a five-song set with his fellow Sabbath founders – Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward – at Back To The Beginning on July 5. The event was a star-studded all-dayer that took place at Villa Park, the home turf of the bassist’s beloved Aston Villa football club, in Sabbath’s hometown of Birmingham.