The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards will feature a tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne, with a performance of his greatest hits by Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Yungblud, and Nuno Bettencourt. The awards show will air live from New York's UBS Arena on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and MTV. It will also be available to stream on Paramount+. LL Cool J will host the event.
Ozzy Osbourne, the legendary Black Sabbath frontman and solo artist, passed away on July 22, 2025, at the age of 76. The New York Times reported that he died of a heart attack. His family released a statement on Instagram, saying he was surrounded by his family and love.
The tribute performance will honor Osbourne's contributions to music and heavy metal. Tyler, Perry, Bettencourt, and Yungblud are expected to perform a medley of Ozzy-related tracks. Many of these musicians participated in Osbourne's final live sendoff, the "Back To The Beginning" concert on July 5th.
The "Back to the Beginning" concert was held at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. It marked the first time Black Sabbath performed together since 2017, when they concluded their "The End Tour". Osbourne addressed fans, thanking them for their support. He mentioned being "laid up for like six years" and expressed his gratitude. Tyler and Yungblud were also in attendance at the final show, with Yungblud performing "Changes".
Osbourne's final concert on July 5 featured him and his original Black Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward. They performed four songs for over 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. The festival also included performances from Metallica, Guns N' Roses, Slayer, Tool, Pantera, and Alice in Chains. Osbourne also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.
Osbourne is survived by his wife, Sharon Osbourne, their three children, Aimee, Kelly, and Jack, and his grandchildren. He also has three older children, Jessica, Louis, and Elliot, from his marriage to Thelma Riley.
The 2025 MTV VMAs will also feature performances from Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Sombr, Alex Warren, J Balvin featuring DJ Snake, Post Malone, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll, Conan Gray, and Tate McRae. Mariah Carey, Ricky Martin, and Busta Rhymes will also be honored.
In addition to the VMA tribute, Osbourne's journey and return to the stage will be chronicled in the documentary Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now, which will debut on Paramount+ later this year.
