See the Members of Black Sabbath Now, All in Their 70s
Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler made up the band's original lineup.
Formed in 1968, Black Sabbath was one of the first heavy metal bands and went on to become one of the biggest. The band continued in its original lineup for 11 years and then went through a series of personnel changes and reunions as original members left and returned. While you're probably familiar with what one member has been up to in recent years—Ozzy Osbourne did have a popular reality show—you may not be caught up with all the members of Black Sabbath today. Read on to find out about rockers Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward, and Geezer Butler, who are all in their 70s.
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Black Sabbath had a turbulent career.
Between 1970 and 1979, Black Sabbath released eight studio albums, including Paranoid, Masters of Reality, and Sabbath Bloody Sabbath. Then, in 1979, lead singer Osbourne was fired from the band due to his substance abuse issues.
"We were doing some rehearsals in L.A., and I was loaded, but then I was loaded all the time," Osbourne wrote his 2009 autobiography I Am Ozzy (via Ultimate Classic Rock), "It was obvious that Bill had been sent by the others, because he wasn't exactly the firing type. I can't remember exactly what he said to me … but the gist was that Tony thought I was a pissed, coked-up loser and a waste of time for everyone concerned."
Osbourne was then replaced by Ronnie James Dio, and this kicked off a series of lineup changes over the next few decades. The only member who has remained in the band the entire time is Iommi. Other original members, including Osbourne, returned and left, until the band broke up officially in 2017. That year, they went on a final tour with all of the original members except for Ward.
Ozzy Osbourne made his family famous.
After leaving the band, Osbourne began his solo career. Since 1980, he has released 13 albums. The latest, Patient Number 9, was released in September 2022. The 74-year-old has also recently done voiceover work, including for the movies Sherlock Gnomes and Trolls World Tour.
In 2002, Osbourne became known to a new audience when he began starring on the MTV reality show The Osbournes. The series featured his wife, Sharon Osbourne, and children, Kelly and Jack Osbourne. The couple also have another daughter, Aimee Osbourne, who was not on the show. Osbourne has two other children, Jessica and Louis Osbourne, with his first wife, Thelma Riley.
Tony Iommi played in a Sabbath spinoff band.
Iommi, 74, was the guitarist for Black Sabbath and is the only member who was with the band throughout its entire career. He has also released music as a solo artist, starting with the album Iommi in 2000. From 2006 to 2010, he was part of the band Heaven & Hell, which was made up of past and present Black Sabbath members—Iommi, Butler, Dio, and Vinny Appice (who had, for a time, replaced Ward as drummer). Heaven & Hell was formed to differentiate from the Black Sabbath lineup that existed when Osbourne returned.
Iommi has been married four times, including to his current wife, Maria Sjöholm, who he married in 2005. He has one daughter, Toni-Marie Iommi, from his second marriage to Melinda Diaz.
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Bill Ward was a radio host.
The original drummer for the band, Ward was in and out of the group starting in the '80s. He did not take part in Black Sabbath's final two tours: 2012's Reunion Tour and 2017's The End Tour. Like his former bandmates, Ward has also released solo music, including three studio albums, and he's also has a band called the Bill Ward Band. The 74-year-old also hosted a radio show.
Ward has been married four times and has three children.
Terence "Geezer" Butler was part of a supergroup.
Butler, Black Sabbath's bassist, took hiatuses from band over the years, beginning around the time that Osbourne was fired. He started his own band, GZR, in 1995, and was also in Heaven & Hell. In 2018, he joined the short-lived supergroup Deadland Ritual, which featured musicians who had performed with Guns N' Roses, Apocalyptica, and Billy Idol, among others.
Butler, 73, has been with his wife, Gloria Butler, for over 40 years. He has two sons, James and Biff Butler.
