Birmingham rock legend Tony Iommi made MBE
Birmingham rock legend, Tony Iommi, has been made an MBE for his services to music and charity.
Black Sabbath guitarist, Tony Iommi, has said it is “unbelievable” to be recognised in the King’s Birthday Honours.
The 78-year-old musician has been made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to music and to charity.
Iommi is famed for co-founding the chart-topping group – which is widely hailed as a pioneer of the heavy metal genre – in the 1960s alongside the late Ozzy Osbourne, Terrence “Geezer” Butler and Bill Ward.
He has also dedicated himself to philanthropy and is focused humanitarian projects such as international disaster relief, as well as cancer advocacy, having been diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012.
Iommi said: “What an unbelievable honour to receive an MBE.
“Music has been my life and I’ve been very lucky to share this journey with many amazing people and fans, and I’m very grateful for all the support along the way.
“It’s been a privilege doing something I love and then to see that music connect with so many over the years.
“And, to be able to help raise money for charities close to my heart has meant the world to me.”
Born in Birmingham in 1948, Iommi almost did not pursue a career in music after being told he may never play again when he lost the tips of two fingers on his right hand during an industrial accident.
However, he later met drummer Ward and in 1968 the pair set out to form a heavy blues rock band based in Birmingham – enlisting bassist Butler and frontman Osbourne to form what was then called Earth Blues Company.
The group later changed their name to Black Sabbath, and went on to sell millions of records over the next decade on the back of sound-defining tracks including Paranoid and War Pigs.
Black Sabbath are widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal, and achieved two UK number one albums and won four Grammy Awards in their career.
They were also inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2006.
Black Sabbath had many different line-ups through the years, but the original four members reunited in 2025 for their Back To The Beginning farewell concert – marking their first live performance together in two decades.
Iommi, nicknamed The Godfather Of Heavy Metal, is regarded as one of the greatest rock guitarists of all time and has collaborated with artists such as Dave Grohl, Ian Astbury, Peter Steele and, latterly, Robbie Williams.
He has also dedicated himself to humanitarian work, and in 1989 he joined forces with a host of musicians such as Brian May, Roger Taylor and Ian Gillan for the Rock Aid Armenia project.
The star recorded a cover of Deep Purple’s Smoke On The Water to raise money for victims of the country’s devastating earthquake in Spitak in 1988.
Iommi has also helped to raise funds for a new music school in Armenia, and co-wrote the country’s 2013 Eurovision Song Contest entry.
He was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2012 and announced he was in remission in 2016, but following this he has also fundraised and advocated for charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support.
The rocker is also a supporter of Birmingham-based Heartlands Hospital Charity, having previously auctioned one of his guitars to raise funds for its new haematology and oncology centre.
Iommi is also passionate about animal welfare, and is a patron for Vale Wildlife Hospital and Wythall Animal Sanctuary.