Iconic metal band Pantera has cancelled several shows following the death of long-time friend Ozzy Osbourne.
The Black Sabbath vocalist and music pioneer died aged 76 on July 22, with his family announcing the news to his legions of fans.
It came just weeks after Ozzy and Sabbath performed their final show in their hometown of Birmingham, raising £140million for charity.
Pantera – made up of Phil Anselmo, Charlie Benante, Rex Brown, and Zakk Wylde – were among the star-studded bill of Back To The Beginning, performing Cowboys from Hell, Walk, Planet Caravan, and Electric Funeral.
Zakk was the longtime guitarist for Ozzy and joined Pantera in 2022 when the 80s band reformed.
Following Ozzy’s death, the group has rescheduled two concerts and cancelled three others to allow the band members to ‘mourn’ and ‘grieve’ their friend.
In a message posted to social media, they said: ‘Ozzy wasn’t just a legend who shaped the very foundation of heavy metal and inspired Pantera from the beginning — he was family.
‘A mentor, a brother, and a constant presence in our lives both on and off the stage. The bond we shared with him ran far deeper than music.
‘In light of this profound loss, we need time and space to grieve — to be with our families, our crew, and each other as we process and honour the life of someone who meant so much to us.
‘Out of respect, and to allow members of our team the time to mourn, we will be rescheduling the following shows.’
Their US shows in Gilford, Birmingham, and Virginia Beach will no longer take place. Their July 20 show in Saratoga Springs has been rescheduled to September 9, and their July 31 date in Holmdel will now be held on September 8.
Following the news of Ozzy’s death, Pantera shared a tribute online expressing their deepest sympathies with his wife, Sharon, and his children, including Jack and Kelly.
‘RIP @ozzyosbourne Thank you for all that you did for metal & Pantera. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Amy & Louis, we are so very sorry for your loss ❤️🩹,’ they wrote.
Ahead of the Back To The Beginning show, Zakk, who toured extensively with Ozzy throughout his career and reunited with the musician at the Villa Park show, shared some of his fondest memories of the Crazy Train hitmaker.
‘I remember we played the Budokan [Arena] in Tokyo. I’d always have a bag of beer with me, just in case anywhere we were going didn’t have beer,’ the Black Label Society musician told NME.
‘So, Oz comes in the room after the gig. He goes “Zakky, Zakky… you got any beers?” I go, “Yeah, but I’m not giving you one here. You’re going to get us fired! Mum’s [Sharon Osbourne] right across the hall – she’s going to come and see the two of us drinking, is that going to be good?”
He said the pair were like ‘a couple of naughty school kids’ opening up on the ‘wholesome’ touring memory.
‘[Ozzy] goes, “Alright, tell you what, I’ll meet you in the bathroom.” So I go in the bathroom, I’m waiting. All of a sudden, I hear the door open. He comes in the stall right next to me, and I push a Kirin or Asahi under there. I hear the “psssst” of the can, then “glug, glug, glug!” He downs it in one, puts the can down, pushes it back under and goes, “Thanks, Zakk. I’ll see you at dinner”.’
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Plenty of celebrities across the globe have also shared tributes, including Sir David Beckham, Queen legend Sir Brian May, and the Gallagher brothers, who displayed Osbourne’s photo on-screen during their Wembley concert.
Osbourne’s death was announced by his family, who revealed that he was ‘surrounded by love’ when the moment came.
They said in a statement: ‘It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love.’
As well as Sharon, he is survived by six children from his two marriages.
Fans will know Kelly and Jack, whom he shared with Sharon and starred in their hugely popular reality series The Osbournes. But he also had another daughter, Aimee, with the former X Factor judge.
As for his other kids, Osbourne welcomed Elliott, Louis, and Jessica with Thelma Riley, to whom he was married from 1971 to 1982.
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