When Ozzy Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979, it marked the end of the original lineup’s classic era. During a recent appearance on the Bob Lefsetz podcast, bassist Geezer Butler detailed the difficult decision to dismiss the Prince of Darkness.
“It was heartbreaking because we’d all grown up together. We fought against the odds together,” the bassist explained. “We performed miracles, making the band successful. And it was heartbreaking. It’s like cutting your arm off.” Read More: Geezer Butler Recalls ‘Heartbreaking’ Decision to Fire Ozzy
Despite agonizing over the decision, Butler still believes it was the right move for all involved.
READ MORE: The Day Black Sabbath Fired Ozzy Osbourne
“He definitely needed a change of lifestyle at the time,” the rocker noted, pointing to Osbourne’s increasingly dangerous substance abuse habits. “We were all doing drugs and boozing and stuff like that, but we could still function. Whereas Ozzy, he wasn’t functioning anymore. And we got this house in Bel Air to write an album. Ozzy just wasn’t interested in the music that we were doing.
According to Butler, the initial suggestion to fire Ozzy came from Black Sabbath’s guitarist, Tony Iommi. “Eventually Tony says, ‘Ozzy’s got to go. He’s just not interested. The band’s not going to go anywhere if we keep on like this.’ And he says, ‘Actually I was a party the other night and I got talking to this guy called Ronnie James Dio, and he’s got an absolutely brilliant voice, and I think we should give him a go.’” “So Tony came to the decision to get rid of Ozzy,” Butler continued. “We we hated doing it, but it had to happen for our sake and his sake. And it all worked out great in the end. And Ronnie James Dio came along… He sang to some of the stuff that we’d written and he was brilliant, absolutely just exactly what it needed. And that was the end of the Ozzy era.”
Butler claims that Tony Iommi, the guitarist for Black Sabbath, was the one who first proposed firing Ozzy. Tony finally declares, “Ozzy must leave.” He simply doesn’t care. If we continue in this manner, the band will not succeed. “I was at a party the other night and I spoke with this guy named Ronnie James Dio. He has a really amazing voice, so I think we should give him a try,” he adds. Butler went on to say, “So Tony decided to get rid of Ozzy.” We detested having to do it, but it was necessary for both our benefit and his. And in the end, everything went really well. Then Ronnie James Dio appeared. He performed for some of the stuff that we’d written and he was brilliant, absolutely just exactly what it needed. And that was the end of the Ozzy era.”
READ MORE: Rock Hall Honors Ozzy Osbourne with an All-Star Performance When Butler looked back, he said, “I was surprised at how quickly he turned himself around.” We were quite happy that he was succeeding and that he had completely changed his life. It was fantastic since both we and him achieved success. He very likely surpassed Sabbath in popularity, and we had one of the best-selling albums of the Sabbath era.