Black Sabbath member Tony Iommi almost had a near-death experience on stage when a "lunatic" tried to sacrifice him.
The band's bassist Geezer Butler shared the story of the bizarre incident during a recent interview, reflecting on one of the weird experiences they went through as metal pioneers with "satanic" imagery.
What Happened to Tony Iommi?
During a recent interview with Reader's Digest, Butler called the time when his Black Sabbath bandmate almost got sacrificed onstage after an attacker with a knife went for Iommi during their Nashville show.
The bassist first talked about his father's disapproval of the inverted cross design the Black Sabbath's first album had, which was reportedly not a big deal for the people in the UK and Europe.
However, their Satanic imagery soon led to a near-death experience for Iommi.
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"In the US, though, people would threaten us and turn up at our gigs with crosses and bibles," he said. "In Nashville, someone jumped on stage and went for Tony with a knife. Fortunately, Tony had turned around to kick his faulty amp at that point, saw the attacker and got out of the way.
Butler revealed that the attacker was arrested by the police afterward as he wanted to sacrifice his bandmate, calling the suspect a "lunatic." After the incident, they no longer heard anything about him.
Geezer Butler Shares More Black Sabbath Experiences
Elsewhere in his Reader's Digest interview, Butler recalled some of the most memorable moments in his life and career, including Black Sabbath's show at the Milton Kynes Bowl in 1997.
At that time, drummer Bill Ward did not make it due to a heart attack. However, they left their fans surprised even more when Iommi decided to pull the drummer's shorts down for fun, flashing his manhood as he was not wearing underwear at that time.
Butler also looked back at Black Sabbath's final gig and their breakup for good in 2017. After decades of performing together, the bandmates continuously received bad news, with Iommi getting diagnosed with lymphoma. Amid the issues, Butler also shared a positive update about him being sober since 2015.
Butler's interview took place after the Black Sabbath rocker released his autobiography, "Into the Void: From Birth to Black Sabbath - and Beyond" on June 6.
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