Sharon Osbourne invites Robbie Williams to lead Brit Awards tribute as sharon osbourne curates No More Tears finale
sharon osbourne has curated a special arrangement of No More Tears that will close the Brit Awards, and has invited Robbie Williams to front the tribute as Ozzy Osbourne is posthumously honoured with a Lifetime Achievement award. The ceremony, moving outside London for the first time, will take place on Saturday in Manchester.
Robbie Williams to front closing tribute and has previous Black Sabbath ties
Singer Robbie Williams will lead the tribute performance to Ozzy Osbourne and will close the show on the night. Williams, who was born in Stoke-on-Trent, teamed last year with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi for the single Rocket and has previously performed sections of Paranoid at a live performance.
Sharon Osbourne curated 'No More Tears' arrangement and personally invited Williams
Sharon Osbourne curated a special arrangement of No More Tears for the ceremony, and the performance will be fronted by Williams. Williams was personally invited by Sharon Osbourne to be part of the moment, described as "a long-standing fan of the music and friend of the family. " The arrangement is intended as a tribute to Ozzy and will serve as the show's finale.
Members of Ozzy's bands will join: Adam Wakeman, Robert Trujillo, Tommy Clufetos and Zakk Wylde
The Brits performance will also feature musicians who played as part of Ozzy's band over the years: Adam Wakeman, Robert Trujillo, Tommy Clufetos and Zakk Wylde. Those names join the lineup to support the curated No More Tears arrangement and Williams' performance.
Osbourne's death, earlier hosting and Grammys tributes
Ozzy Osbourne died last July, just weeks after his farewell performance in his hometown of Birmingham, and will be honoured posthumously at the Manchester ceremony. He previously hosted the Brit Awards in 2008, alongside Sharon and his two children, Kelly and Jack. The planned tribute follows earlier tributes at the US Grammys, where Post Malone, Slash, Duff McKagan, Chad Smith and Andrew Watt performed a cover of War Pigs.
Stacey Tang's remarks and the scale of Ozzy's career
Stacey Tang, chair of the 2026 Brit Awards Committee and co-president of RCA Records at Sony Music UK, said: "Ozzy Osbourne has been a mighty force in modern music. " She added that he possessed "an unmistakable voice and unique presence, " reshaping "the sound and spirit of rock" and inspiring generations. Those remarks accompanied the announcement of the Lifetime Achievement award.
Osbourne racked up more than 100 million worldwide album sales over five decades, including 19 studio albums and eight live albums with Black Sabbath and another 13 studio albums as a solo artist. His industry accolades include five Grammy awards, induction into both the UK Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame—each with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist in separate years—and the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement with Black Sabbath.
Event logistics, hosts and additional performers
The Brit Awards will take place on Saturday at Manchester's Co-op Live, and the ceremony will be hosted by Jack Whitehall. It is the first time in the event's history that the ceremony will be held outside of London.
Performances on the night will include EJAE, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — the singing voices of HUNTR/X from KPop Demon Hunters — Alex Warren, Harry Styles, Olivia Dean, Mark Ronson, Raye, Rosalía, Sombr and Wolf Alice. Jacob Alon has been announced as the winner of this year's Critics' Choice award, while Noel Gallagher will be presented with Brits Songwriter of the Year and PinkPantheress will be honoured with the Brits Producer of the Year award.
