Ozzy's farewell gig raised more than £33m, figures show

Ozzy Osbourne said at his final gig: "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart"

Ozzy Osbourne's last concert contributed £28m to the West Midlands economy, new analysis shows.

New figures from the University of Birmingham show Black Sabbath's Back to the Beginning show at Villa Park made a total of £33.8m, with most remaining in the region.

Thousands of heavy metal fans made the pilgrimage on 5 July to see some of the greatest names in the genre perform during the day festival.

Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy sadly died less than two weeks after the major performance aged 76.

During the Villa Park sjow, Ozzy performed some of his biggest hits while seated on a black throne.

He was then joined by the full original Sabbath line-up, with the four members not seen on stage together for 20 years.

University researchers said the concert contributed £33.8m in gross economic output across the UK, £27.6m of which was retained in the West Midlands.

Dr Matt Lyons, who conducted the analysis, said: "As regional economists from the University of Birmingham, we thought we would do our bit to honour Ozzy's legacy by estimating the economic impact of his last gig.

Metallica were among the other bands who played at the Villa Park show

"The impact of the Prince of Darkness obviously goes far beyond the financial impact his gigs and TV shows have netted.

"Ozzy is a global legend, and his gift of incredible music, and now his final economic impact, will go on to benefit his home city far into the future."

The 42,000 tickets for the concert sold out in minutes, with 20% purchased by international fans, paying prices ranging from £197.50 to £834.

To estimate the economic impact of the concert, the researchers used the SEIM-UK (Socio-Economic Impact Model for the UK) model, a methodology used previously to estimate the impact of major events such as the Birmingham-hosted Commonwealth Games in 2022.

The concert would be Ozzy's last public performance with his family announcing his death on 22 July.

Thousands of fans later lined Broad Street in Birmingham as Ozzy's funeral parade made its way to the Black Sabbath bench.

His coffin was followed by his family who looked at the floral tributes that were placed at the site, after stepping out of their funeral car.