Alice Cooper and his band found out that the world lost Ozzy Osbourne just minutes before they were due to go perform in Cardiff, Wales, which is about two hours from the place where legendary BLACK SABBATH singer was born. Before hitting the stage, Alice recorded the following quote for his radio show “Alice’s Attic”: “Well, we all know that time is going to take us rockers, but when the giants fall, it’s really hard to accept. Even though everybody saw it coming with Ozzy, it just took our breath away when it happened. So, Ozzy and family, your records and your music and your legend and all that you brought — the humor to the rock business — will live on forever and we’re gonna miss you, man.”
Alice and his band then dedicated Tuesday night’s show to Ozzy‘s memory and they were able to celebrate along with the crowd who had also just learned of this great loss for rock and roll. Following the concert, Alice summed up his thoughts by saying: “The whole world is mourning Ozzy tonight. Over his long career, he earned immense respect among his peers and from fans around the world as an unmatched showman and cultural icon.
“I always saw Ozzy as a cross between the prince of darkness, which is the persona his fans saw, and the court jester. That was the side that his family and friends saw. He was and will continue to be a rock and roll legend.
“Rock and roll is a family and a fraternity. When we lose one of our own, it bleeds. I wish I would have gotten to know my brother Ozzy better.
“Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and the rest of the Ozzy brood — our prayers are with you tonight. A titanic boulder has crashed, but rock will roll on.”
In 1991, Ozzy provided backing vocals to Cooper‘s song “Hey Stoopid”, which was the title track of Alice‘s 12th studio album. The two worked together again on the song “Wake The Dead”, which appeared on Cooper‘s 2008 album “Along Came A Spider”.
Ozzy died Tuesday morning (July 22),his family announced in a statement.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” the family said.
No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson’s disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.
Ozzy‘s death came a little more than two weeks after he took the stage for his final performance with BLACK SABBATH at Villa Park in the band’s original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. They performed four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.
