Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi said he thinks bandmate Ozzy Osbourne was "determined" to play the group's farewell show and "really just held out" to do so weeks before his death.

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi is the first member of the band to publicly speak about the death of his bandmate, singer Ozzy Osbourne. Posting a statement to his Instagram account, the guitarist remarked,

Ozzy Osbourne went out with a bang. Following the rock icon’s death at age 76 on Tuesday, his Black Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi told ITV News that he thinks Osbourne “held out” for the band’s July 5 farewell concert before he passed away.