Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi has made his feelings clear on Ozzy Osbourne's recent plea to play one final show as a band - giving a hopeful response for die-hard fans.
The 60's rock band were best known for their hits Paranoid, War Pigs, Iron Man and Children of the Grave.
In 1979, Osbourne left the band after an increasingly erratic drink and drug-fuelled behaviour turn, and barely turned up to the studio to record with his bandmates.
It was also reported that the friction within the band came to a head when Iommi decided that he wanted to replace Osbourne, but was a release for Osbourne who felt like he wanted to go in a different musical direction.
Despite the band splitting up, Osbourne recently admitted he would "jump at the chance" to play a final Black Sabbath show with drummer Bill Ward after he previously dropped out of their planned reunion in 2012 - citing an "unreasonable contract".
However, Ward may not have responded to the please but Iommi was quick to weigh in on the potential reunion during a recent conversation with SiriusXM radio programme Trunk Nation host, Eddie Trunk.
He noted that although "everybody" would suggest that the band would only reunite for money, he refuted: "That’d be a nice thing to actually do, but whether it happens will be another thing. But we’ll see. I mean, who knows?"
Whilst he was optimistic about a one-off performance, Iommi was adamant he would not commit to any lengthy tours and said: "I have to look at it realistically at my age.
"I can’t go out and do a two-year tour like we were doing before. And to put something together like the original Sabbath or this or that or the other, you’ve gotta do it a long time because of the cost of everything.
"But it would be nice to do a one-off if that ever happens."
Iommi's response comes as Sharon Osbourne revealed that her husband of 44 years was planning "two more shows to say goodbye" before he finally committed to retiring from performing live.
She told Jane Moore: "He won’t tour again but we are planning on doing two more shows to say goodbye as he feels like, ‘I have never said goodbye to my fans and I want to say goodbye’.
"His voice is still absolutely perfect. And all the time he has been off he still does his singing lessons. Even if you don’t like his music, you can’t not like Ozzy."
Osbourne announced his retirement from touring in February 2023 and called off his scheduled European and UK tour dates in the process, later noting that he might have to "accept the fact" he may never perform again due to his ongoing health issues including Parkinson’s disease and a recovery from multiple surgeries.
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He told Rolling Stone UK at the time: "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.
"At the start of my illness, when I stopped touring, I was really p***ed 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'."