Sharon Osbourne has shot down as “ridiculous” reports that BLACK SABBATH‘s farewell concert raised nearly 140 million British pound.

In the days after the July 5 event, dubbed “Back To The Beginning”, the event’s musical director, Tom Morello, shared an Instagram post stating that roughly 140 million British pound (€ 161,5 million / $ 190 million) would be donated to charity from the concert. Billboard magazine later also reported that the event had raised $190 million, while The Guardian reported that the pay-per-view livestream of the event reached nearly six million fans, generating an estimated $150 million in revenue. At the time, it was expected that the funds would be distributed equally to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Acorn Children’s Hospice and Cure Parkinson’s — an organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease Osbourne had lived with since 2019.

In an interview with music industry trade publication Pollstar, conducted on July 17 — just five days before Ozzy‘s death — his wife and manager said that claims of “Back To The Beginning” raising nearly $200 million are highly inaccurate.

“One of the things that’s frightening me is all this false press about (how), we’ve made $140 million and all of this, and I’m like, God, I wish we could have, for one gig,” Sharon said. “It’s just ridiculous, the different stories. I went on the internet the next morning and it was like, $140 million, $160 million. And I’m like, Where does this stuff come from?”

“It takes a really long time (to arrive at the final number that will be donated to charity), because we’ve had all of the bands that we had come in and their expenses, and it’ll take a good six weeks to get the final number,” she continued.

When Pollstar writer Ray Waddell noted that “these reports are not helpful for the Children’s Hospital to see, waiting for their $190 million”, Sharon responded: “Oh my God! It’s the Children’s Hospital, a children’s hospice, and Parkinson’s research. Everybody thinks that they’re going to cure everything with this much money, but it’s not the real world.”

Sharon went on to say that the concert, which also featured a solo performance from Ozzy, as well as appearances by METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, GUNS N’ ROSES and TOOL, among many others, was “a huge success.” She said: “It was a phenomenal event. It was the first time, I think, that anybody’s gone into retirement and done it, where the show is streamed and it goes to charity. So it’s the first time anybody has said goodnight like that, it’s the perfect way, when you’ve had such a long career, to end it. I never wanted Ozzy to just disappear without some big event.”

Billboard reported last month that the concert was watched by 40,000 ticketholders and 5.8 million individuals online, with each of the above-mentioned charities also raising tens of thousands of pounds in additional donations by raffling off tickets to the show, auctioning off iconic art and band photographs donated by BLACK SABBATH, and through individual contributions from fans as they streamed into the concert, which took place at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.

A private funeral service for Ozzy Osbourne was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife and manager Sharon bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer’s friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA), Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

Trujillo reflected on the service during an August 7 appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”. He said: “It was a small group of people, but it was very, very beautiful. And in the end, the speeches were actually… I mean, it was very sad, but at the same time some of the speeches were — as you could imagine — pretty funny. And there were a lot of tears. (The members of) SABBATH kind of ended with their speech, especially with (bassist) Geezer (Butler). Geezer broke down into tears. He had a hard time, obviously, speaking, and then he came back up and he delivered an amazing eulogy.”

Trujillo continued: “It had been raining at the beginning of the service, about an hour — I don’t know — longer than an hour before. And then as it sort of progressed through the service, the weather would change and different things would happen. When Kelly (Osbourne, Ozzy and Sharon‘s daughter) was singing, her lyrics flew — the wind blew her lyrics away. It was almost like Ozzy was having fun with her. And then when Geezer spoke, actually spoke, the sun came out. I’m not kidding. The sun actually came out, and then it was beautiful from that moment on — a very magical moment.

“And again, it’s sad, but at the same time, people were sharing stories,” Robert added. “And all of a sudden, there was laughter, and ‘I remember this’, ‘I remember that’. There were so many stories. I mean, we’d be on the phone forever on this interview. So, it felt like there was a closure from this. And I’m glad that we went — my wife Chloe and I went — and shared that and were able to have that moment with the family and everything. So it was very beautiful. And again, heartfelt words from so many people and kind of reconnecting with different musicians and bandmates, crew members, all that.”

The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. His wife and manager Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.

A representative for Polygram Entertainment has confirmed to Variety that the Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne biopic is still moving forward, and that “they’re currently in negotiations with a director, which could be confirmed very soon.”

It was reported by Variety back in October 2021 that Ozzy and Sharon had partnered with Sony Pictures and Polygram Entertainment for the film, which will focus on the love story between the BLACK SABBATH frontman and his wife and manager. It will be scripted by Lee Hall, who previously worked on Elton John‘s “Rocketman”.

Ozzy and Sharon, along with their children Jack and Kelly, discussed the biopic in an April 2024 episode of their revived podcast.

“By the time they finish this film, I’ll be dead… I wanna be alive to fucking see it,” Ozzy said at the time. “Movies take forever to make. Forever,” Sharon added.

Asked which actress she would like to play her in the biopic, Sharon said: “Florence Pugh or the little girl from ‘Game Of Thrones’.”

The film is being produced by Sharon and her children Jack and Aimée Osbourne via their label Osbourne Media (which was also behind the Showtime documentary “God Bless Ozzy Osbourne” and A&E‘s “Biography: The Nine Lives Of Ozzy Osbourne”),alongside Michele Anthony and David Blackman on behalf of Polygram Entertainment. Andrea Giannetti is overseeing development for Sony.

Variety also pointed out that music from BLACK SABBATH and Ozzy‘s solo career will be featured in the film.

In 2020, Ozzy stated about the biopic: “From what I understand, it’s about Sharon and I and our relationship. It’s how we met, fell in love, and how we married. She’s my other half. She grew up a lot with me, and I grew up a lot with her.”

“I hope it will be a story that everybody can relate to,” Sharon said. “You don’t have to be a fan of the music, because it’s a story about a survivor. No matter what life throws at you, you pick yourself up and you start again. It’s just an amazing story of overcoming everything that’s thrown at you in your life.”

Sharon added that the film will be “a lot more real” than the QUEEN biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody”. “We don’t want it to be squeaky, shiny clean and all of that,” she said. “We’re not making it for kids. It’s an adult movie for adults.”

Back in January 2019, Sharon told Variety that she had approached Danny Boyle (“28 Days Later”, “Sunshine”, “Trainspotting”) about directing the film. “It’s the madness of my childhood, growing up in the industry with a powerful father who was somewhat violent,” she said.

Sharon went on to say that she “would get a complete unknown” to play Ozzy. “It’s Ozzy at a very young age,” she explained. “It’s Ozzy at 20.”

Sharon‘s father, former music mogul Don Arden, became known as the “Al Capone of pop” and the “English Godfather” for his tough-guy business practices while overseeing the careers of acts ranging from ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA to BLACK SABBATH. Arden and his daughter became estranged in 1982 after she took over the management of Ozzy‘s solo career, also marrying the singer. Father and daughter were not on good terms for nearly 20 years until reconciling in 2002.

Sharon had to pay her father $1 million in a court settlement after she gained control of Ozzy‘s affairs.

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate also reportedly said the 76-year-old musician suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease.

A little over a month ago, Osbourne reunited with the rest of the original BLACK SABBATH lineup — guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — for what was his final performance at the “Back To The Beginning” charity concert in their original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom.