Black Sabbath farewell concert raises huge charity haul
Event date: 2025-07-05
Black Sabbath’s final performance at Villa Park has raised £140 million for charity, according to musical director Tom Morello.
The BBC report says Morello revealed the figure on Instagram after the event, which brought thousands of fans to Birmingham and featured a star-studded metal line-up including Metallica and Slayer. He described the show as the result of more than a year of work and said it was a labour of love.
The money will be split equally between Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Cure Parkinson’s and Acorns Children’s Hospice. The charities all stand to benefit from a concert that was designed as a farewell to one of Birmingham’s most famous bands and, according to the report, has generated a remarkable sum for local and disease-specific causes.
The BBC says Acorns has faced rising demand for its services, while Birmingham Children’s Hospital said the funding would support work on patient and family experience, including improvements to its front entrance, emergency department, entertainment activities, a new cinema and equipment. Cure Parkinson’s was another natural beneficiary because Ozzy Osbourne disclosed his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2020.
What makes the reported total significant is not just the headline figure but the scale of the charitable split. A one-off concert has translated into long-term support for three institutions that each serve a different part of the West Midlands or a different medical need. That gives the event a civic impact beyond nostalgia or fandom.
The packet does not explain how the £140 million total was calculated, whether it reflects gross receipts or net profits, or when the money will be distributed. It does, however, make clear that the event was a major fundraising success and that Morello wanted to emphasise both the scale of the response and the generosity of the global audience.
For Birmingham, the concert therefore lands on two levels. It is a cultural farewell to Black Sabbath, but it is also a financial windfall for local charities. In practical terms, that means the afterlife of the show may matter as much as the performance itself.
Claim-to-source map - Black Sabbath’s final performance raised £140 million for charity: source 5914 - The proceeds will be split between Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Cure Parkinson’s and Acorns Children’s Hospice: source 5914 - Tom Morello said the event was a labour of love and drew a star-studded line-up: source 5914 - Birmingham Children’s Hospital and Acorns said the funds would support specific services: source 5914
