Bill Ward Reveals What Sharon Osbourne Told Him Before Reuniting with Black Sabbath at “Back to the Beginning” – First Time in 20 Years
July 2025 – Birmingham, UK — The thunder of drums returned, and with it, a piece of heavy metal history was reborn. After two decades apart, original Black Sabbath drummer Bill Ward reunited with the band for their emotional farewell concert, “Back to the Beginning”, held at Birmingham’s Villa Park — a moment fans thought would never happen. But now, in a heartfelt interview, Ward has revealed the surprising, deeply personal words that Sharon Osbourne told him before he took the stage with Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, and Geezer Butler — words that ultimately helped make the reunion possible.
“She Looked Me in the Eye and Said…”
“It wasn’t just music we were coming back to,” Bill Ward told Kerrang! in a backstage interview after the show. “It was unfinished life business.”
Ward had long been estranged from the band following disagreements over contractual terms in 2011 that kept him out of the 2013 13 album and the subsequent world tour. Fans had resigned themselves to the idea that the classic Black Sabbath lineup — the one that defined a genre — would never share a stage again. But something shifted in the weeks leading up to the final performance.
And the shift, according to Ward, began with Sharon Osbourne.
“She looked me in the eye,” Ward recalled, “and she said, ‘Bill, if this is the end, don’t let it end with silence. Let it end with love. Come home.’”
Healing a Rift Two Decades Deep
The reunion didn’t happen overnight. Behind the scenes, months of quiet conversations were happening — not just between lawyers and managers, but between humans trying to patch up decades of pain.
Ward admitted he was hesitant.
“It wasn’t just about the drums,” he said. “I was scared. We’re older. I didn’t know if my body could handle it. I didn’t know if my heart could. But when Sharon said that to me, it opened something. She didn’t speak like a manager. She spoke like family.”
That single moment, he said, set off a chain reaction of late-night phone calls, emotional apologies, and finally — rehearsals.
The Moment That Stopped Time
When the lights went down at Villa Park and the intro to “War Pigs” roared across the speakers, the entire stadium held its breath. And then, there he was — Bill Ward, seated behind his iconic white drum kit, eyes closed, fists clenched, waiting for the cue.
As the crowd erupted into cheers, Ozzy turned back and smiled at him. “We’re back, brother,” Ozzy said, audibly picked up by his mic.
The chemistry, as fans described on social media, was immediate and electric. Like 1970 had never ended.
“I cried,” said one fan who traveled from Brazil to see the show. “Seeing Bill back with them was like watching history correcting itself.”
Sharon Osbourne: The Quiet Architect
While Sharon Osbourne has often been portrayed as the fierce protector of Ozzy’s career — sometimes even controversially — Bill Ward was quick to credit her role in making the reunion possible.
“She gets misunderstood a lot,” he said. “But I’ll tell you this — she fought for this reunion. Not because it made money. Not because it would look good. But because she wanted Ozzy to be whole, and she knew that meant I had to be there. She wanted all of us to heal.”
Sources close to the Osbourne family confirmed that Sharon had reached out personally to Ward earlier this year after Ozzy’s emotional withdrawal from live touring due to health complications.
“She said to him, ‘You’re part of his soul,’” the source revealed.
A Farewell… or Something More?
Now that the “Back to the Beginning” show has passed into legend, fans are still processing the gravity of what they witnessed — and whether it’s truly the final chapter.
When asked if this was truly “the end,” Ward gave a wry smile.
“I’m not making promises. But I’m not closing doors, either.”
For now, the reunion was a celebration of legacy, friendship, and forgiveness. And though Ozzy has said this was his final performance, recent whispers of a studio album — possibly featuring all four original members — have stirred hope.
Whether or not that happens, one thing is clear: the final Black Sabbath show wasn’t just a concert. It was a full-circle moment made possible by the kind of words rarely spoken in rock & roll: humility, reconciliation, and love.
And at the center of it all, was Sharon Osbourne — the unlikely peacemaker who reminded the band that even after 50 years of darkness, there’s still room for a little light.
“Come home,” she said. And at long last — he did.
