Black Sabbath legend Tony Iommi collects MBE at Windsor Castle and calls farewell film 'difficult to watch'

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026 · last updated 1 October 2026.

Tony Iommi, the 78-year-old Black Sabbath guitarist nicknamed the Godfather of Heavy Metal, was awarded his MBE by the Princess Royal at Windsor Castle on Wednesday for services to music and charity. He told reporters the upcoming film of the band's final Birmingham concert is "emotional" and hard to revisit, given his closeness to his late bandmates. The investiture came on the same day he released a new solo single, 'Stormwatcher', from his forthcoming album 'From The Dark', due October 23.

Iommi says life has been 'up and down' since Ozzy Osbourne's death from a reported heart attack just weeks after Black Sabbath's farewell show last year.

'I find it difficult to watch it, to be honest, because obviously of our relationship with each other,' Iommi said of the concert film, due in cinemas this October.

Iommi said he has kept himself busy, including playing on Robbie Williams's last album for the rock track 'Rocket'.