Just days after Ozzy Osbourne’s death, Alice Cooper spoke to Planet Rock about the legendary metal musician and the moment he found out he had passed away.
“I was on my way to the stage when I heard about [his death],” Cooper said. “And I went, ‘Oh, that’s not right.’ He just did this [show, “Back to the Beginning”]. And I saw him. He was signing well. But when it finally hit, it was just one of those, ‘Yeah.’ Even though you know it’s coming – Especially with Ozzy, especially with certain guys in rock who you go [grimaces]. You know, [Ozzy] certainly hasn’t been well for a while. But, I mean, what a shock to the system.”
When news broke about Osbourne on Tuesday night (July 22nd), Cooper was performing at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff, Wales – about two hours away from Ozzy’s hometown of Birmingham, England where he performed for the last time earlier this month.
“At the end of the show, I just said, ‘Everybody, let’s say goodnight to Ozzy. And everybody just [chanted], ‘Ozzy, Ozzy.’ He was a very beloved character in rock,” Cooper said.
Recalling his relationship with Osbourne, Cooper explained that while they weren’t the closest of friends, they had a great mutual respect for each other:
“We did shows together. He was not one of those guys that I would say was one of my best friends, but we were close when we saw each other. We go, ‘Oh, good to see you, man.’ We didn’t hang in the same sort of people, you know…
“Ozzy and I did four or five things together. He sang on [my album] ‘Hey Stoopid.’ …But there was never that, ‘Let me call Ozzy.’ You know, there was never that thing. I just respected him. And I think we had a mutual respect for each other. We had a lot of the same players… The great thing about being a lead singer without a band is that you get your pick [of musicians]… So between us, we have the same drummer at one time.”
