Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler reacts after Ozzy Osbourne says he’s a ‘f***ing arsehole’ for not reaching out during illness

Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler has responded after Ozzy Osbourne branded him as a “fucking arsehole” for reportedly not reaching out following his continued struggles with Parkinson’s disease.

The fresh row between the two came after comments that Ozzy made in his cover interview with Rolling Stone UK, as he reflected on health challenges in recent years.

In the interview, Osbourne hailed his Sabbath bandmate Tony Iommi for constantly supporting him, but stopped short of showering the same praise on Butler.

“You do find out who’s a genuine friend when you’ve been through what I’ve had,” Ozzy told us. “Tony Iommi has been so supportive of me since my illness. Geezer Butler hasn’t given me one fucking phone call. Not one fucking call.”

He continued: “When his son was fucking born, I phoned him every fucking night even though we were at war with each other, Black Sabbath and me [after his sacking]. I thought, ‘Fuck it, he’s my mate, I’m gonna call him.’

“But from him, not one fucking call. It’s sad, man,” he added. “We all grew up together, and he can’t pick up the fucking phone like a man and see how I’m doing. Even Bill Ward has been in touch with me.

“I said some things about Bill, and I don’t know why I said it, but when I came through my illness, he contacted me. I’m not in shock, I’m just very fucking sad that he can’t just call me after all this time and say, ‘How you doing?’ Fucking arsehole.”

Now, Butler has responded on social media and claimed that he made several attempts to contact Osbourne.

“Rumour has it; Ozzy is upset, saying he never received my get well messages. I made 2 different attempts at getting in touch during his illnesses,” he said.

“My first email (8 Feb, 2019) went through his office because I didn’t have Ozzy’s new number to text him. Sharon responded but I didn’t hear back from Ozzy. 11 months later (21 Jan, 2020), I emailed Sharon to check on Oz. That email went unanswered. I don’t want to engage in a tit for tat. Having made 2 attempts to wish Ozzy well, without a reply, I figured it best to privately keep him in my thoughts.”

In the same chat, Ozzy revealed he may never perform live again after multiple surgeries left him experiencing a series of setbacks.

“I’m taking it one day at a time, and if I can perform again, I will. But it’s been like saying farewell to the best relationship of my life,” he said.

“At the start of my illness, when I stopped touring, I was really pissed off with myself, the doctors, and the world. But as time has gone on, I’ve just gone, ‘Well, maybe I’ve just got to accept that fact.’”

Ozzy was also the winner of the Icon Award in association with Visit West Hollywood at the Rolling Stone UK Awards last week. While he was not in attendance, his wife and manager Sharon accepted the award on his behalf.

“Ozzy is what rock and roll is all about. He’s wild, he’s fabulous, he’s talented. He’s like a fucking uncaged animal, and I adore him,” she said.