Sharon Osbourne curates No More Tears tribute led by Robbie Williams at the BRITs
sharon osbourne has curated a closing tribute for Ozzy Osbourne at the BRIT Awards, inviting Robbie Williams to front a special arrangement of "No More Tears" as the ceremony concludes on Saturday at Manchester's Co-op Live. The performance marks a posthumous honour for Ozzy, who died last July just weeks after his farewell show in Birmingham.
Robbie Williams to front the finale
Singer Robbie Williams, the Stoke-on-Trent born artist, will lead the tribute performance and close the night with the specially arranged version of "No More Tears. " The Brit Awards said Williams was personally invited by sharon osbourne to take part, calling him "a long-standing fan of the music and friend of the family. " Williams last year teamed up with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi for the single "Rocket" and has previously performed sections of "Paranoid" at a live performance.
Sharon Osbourne curates the arrangement
The arrangement of "No More Tears" has been curated by Sharon Osbourne and will be fronted by Williams. The tribute was organized as part of the presentation of Ozzy's Lifetime Achievement Award at the BRITs, with the performance intended to close the show on the night.
Band members and guest musicians joining Williams
The performance will include musicians who played with Ozzy over the years: Adam Wakeman, Robert Trujillo, Tommy Clufetos and Zakk Wylde. The gathering echoes recent tributes to Ozzy, which included a cover of "War Pigs" at the US Grammys performed by Post Malone, Slash, Duff McKagan, Chad Smith and Andrew Watt.
Ozzy's hosting history and family connections
Ozzy Osbourne had previously hosted the BRIT Awards in 2008 alongside Sharon Osbourne and his two children, Kelly and Jack. The upcoming ceremony will present Ozzy with the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously, recognising his career after his death last July shortly following his farewell concert in his hometown of Birmingham.
Accolades and career totals laid out
Organizers highlighted Ozzy's commercial and industry achievements: 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 honours include five Grammy awards, induction into both the UK Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (with Black Sabbath and as a solo artist in separate years), and the Ivor Novello Award for Lifetime Achievement with Black Sabbath.
Full BRITs night lineup and awards
The BRIT Awards will take place on Saturday at Manchester's Co-op Live and 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.
Winners and special honours announced ahead of the ceremony include Jacob Alon as this year's Critics' Choice award winner, Noel Gallagher receiving Brits Songwriter of the Year, and PinkPantheress being honoured with the Brits Producer of the Year award.
What comes next
The tribute arranged by Sharon Osbourne and fronted by Robbie Williams will close the BRIT Awards on Saturday at Co-op Live in Manchester; other scheduled performances and the presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award will take place throughout the ceremony.
