Tributes pour in for Diogo Jota from Ozzy Osbourne and music icons | OneFootball

Ozzy Osbourne Bids Farewell with a Moving Gesture

In an emotional evening at Villa Park, Birmingham, legendary rocker Ozzy Osbourne marked his final stage appearance with a heartfelt tribute to late Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota. The Black Sabbath frontman, 76, took to the stage on Saturday night as part of his farewell concert — a poignant send-off underscored by personal loss and collective grief.

As the show neared its conclusion, Osbourne paused to remember Jota, who tragically lost his life in a car crash earlier that week. An image of the footballer, his back turned and hands forming a heart symbol, was projected on screen — a simple but powerful homage that resonated across generations of fans, both musical and sporting.

Music and Football Intertwine in Tribute

The tribute came just hours after news broke of Jota’s death at the age of 28. He and his brother André — a professional footballer for Portuguese second-tier side Penafiel — were both killed when their Lamborghini Huracan suffered a tyre blowout and overturned on Spain’s A-52 motorway, close to the Portuguese border.

Jota’s funeral took place in Gondomar on the same day as the concert, adding to the emotional weight of Osbourne’s gesture. Known for his deep ties to performance and theatrics, Osbourne’s quiet tribute was all the more striking amidst the heavy metal thunder.

He wasn’t alone in paying respects.

Support act Yungblud, whose real name is Dominic Harrison, delivered a version of Black Sabbath’s classic “Changes” and dedicated it to Jota. Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt was seen wearing Jota’s Liverpool shirt on stage — another visual reminder of the footballer’s impact.

Music World Joins in Mourning

Elsewhere in the UK, tributes continued to pour in. At Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, the long-awaited reunion of Oasis was marked by their own salute to the fallen footballer. Noel and Liam Gallagher performed Live Forever beneath an LED banner bearing Jota’s image in Liverpool red — an emotional moment met with roars of approval and a sea of Portuguese flags in the crowd.

Liverpool-based band Cast opened that night’s show with a tribute of their own. Frontman John Power dedicated the ballad Walkaway to Jota, offering a moving farewell: “Take it easy, brother.”

These moments of recognition stretched beyond football. They illustrated how Jota had quietly embedded himself in British sporting and cultural consciousness — a player not just admired for his goals but respected as a figure who had connected across communities.

Diogo Jota’s Final Journey

The full circumstances of the crash cast a sombre light on Jota’s final days. Reports in Portugal suggest the brothers were driving to Santander, intending to travel to Britain by ferry after Jota had been advised against flying following recent lung surgery.

Emergency services in Castilla and León confirmed the vehicle had overturned and burst into flames. Despite their swift arrival, both Jota and his brother were pronounced dead at the scene. No other vehicles were involved.

Ozzy Osbourne’s final show was always going to be a momentous event. But in pausing to honour Diogo Jota, it became something even more profound — a reminder of life’s fragility, the bonds that connect us, and how even in parting, we can find unity through shared grief.