\n\tOzzy Osbourne<\/a>\u2018s memory has been kept alive with a series of projects since the heavy metal icon\u2019s death at 76 last July<\/a>. But if manager and widow Sharon Osbourne has her way \u2014 and she almost always does \u2014 the spirit of Ozz will rise again next year with the long-awaited return of Ozzfest.<\/p>\n \n\tDuring a chat at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France this week as part of the MIDEM 2026 conference, Sharon again hinted that she is still planning to revive Ozzfest as a touring festival next year. \u201cYes, absolutely. Yeah, we\u2019re gonna do it<\/a>,\u201d Osbourne said during a conversation with producer\/manager Andy Copping (Download Festival).<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWell, the last one we did was 2018. It was just a month before\u00a0Ozzy\u00a0got sick, and that was at the Forum in L.A. And there was no plans to stop it,\u201d Sharon Osbourne said of what was the seeming swan song of the Ozz-topped hard rock festival that was held nearly annually from 1996 through 2018. \u201cWe were still gonna do it, but\u00a0Ozzy\u00a0couldn\u2019t. And\u00a0Ozzy\u00a0and I would talk about it, and he\u2019d say, \u2018Do you think\u00a0Ozzfest\u00a0would work without me?\u2019 And I\u2019m, like, \u2018Yeah, it\u2019s a brand. It\u00a0will\u00a0work without you.\u2019 And he said, \u2018We should do it.’\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tLast month, Sharon, 73, told Billboard<\/em><\/a> that she\u2019s been \u201ctalking to Live Nation about bringing [Ozzfest] back recently. It was something Ozzy was very passionate about: giving young talent a stage in front of a lot of people. We really started metal festivals in this country. It was [replicated but] never done with the spirit of what ours was, because ours was a place for new talent. It was like summer camp for kids.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAnd while Ozzfest was always hard rock\/heavy metal\/hardcore-focused, Osbourne said she\u2019d like to \u201cmix up the genres\u201d the next time out.<\/p>\n \n\tIn addition to Ozzy and Black Sabbath, over the years Ozzfest hosted everyone from Slayer, Danzig and Biohazard in its first year to Pantera, Fear Factory, Foo Fighters, Soulfly, Tool, Megadeth, Limp Bizkit, Motorhead, System of a Down, Rob Zombie, Deftones, Primus, Godsmack, Slipknot, Incubus, P.O.D., Papa Roach, Mudvayne, Linkin Park, Bad Religion, Drowning Pool, Kittie, Otep and many more.<\/p>\n \n\tRock and Roll Hall of Famer Osbourne died on July 22 of cardiac arrest and coronary artery disease<\/a>, just weeks after his final performance of solo hits and Sabbath classics at his final \u201cBack to the Beginning\u201d all-star show<\/a> on July 5 in his native Birmingham, England.<\/p>\n
![\"Billboard](\"https:\/\/i.imgur.com\/2HpFicp.png\")