Yes, Black Sabbath ( Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward) fired Osbourne in 1979 over his substance abuse and an overall disinterest in doing anything with the band. They replace Ozzy with Ronnie James Dio, ushering in the "Heaven and Hell" era—and the longstanding rumor that Ozzy held a grudge against Dio. But is that true?

"I didn’t realize then that I would never see Ozzy again after that night," Butler writes of the July 5 "Back to the Beginning" show in England.

Following statements by Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, Black Sabbath founding drummer Bill Ward has weighed in with his first posting since the death of Ozzy Osbourne. Through the X social media platform,