In an interview with PipemanRadio at this year’s Bloodstock Open Air festival in the United Kingdom, STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos spoke about legendary BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne who died late last month at the age of 76. Tony said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “One of the coolest things that I can scratch off the list of shit I never thought would happen — we got to do a photo shoot with Ozzy back before our first Ozzfest in ’99. And we’re hanging out in our dressing room waiting for [legendary rock photographer] Ross Halfin to set up the photo shoot. And Ozzy just comes in and he just sits down and hangs out with us and starts telling us stories about BLACK SABBATH days, how he’d shoot heroin in his neck behind Tony Iommi’s Marshall stacks. And we’re all just like little kids listening to their grandpa tell stories. We were, like, ‘Whoa, cool.’ And it’s just, like, he didn’t have to do that. He was just such a cool dude, and he was awesome to us. And just getting to do Ozzfest that year was such a life-changing event for us. And I’m eternally grateful to him and Sharon for giving us that opportunity.”
Ozzy and his wife and manager Sharon started their annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what at the time was the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. The first traveling version of Ozzfest in 1997 included MARILYN MANSON and PANTERA as part of the lineup.
Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease.
A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer’s friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).
The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.
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.
