Within the wake of Ozzy Osbourne’s dying, Howard Stern took a break from his scheduled summer time trip to return to his SiriusXM radio present on Wednesday (Aug. sixth) to be able to pay tribute to the late Black Sabbath frontman. “Ozzy’s gone and I’m profoundly unhappy,” he stated whereas “Mama, I’m Coming Dwelling” performed within the background.
Becoming a member of him to speak about Osbourne was Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich – who simply final month carried out at Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s ultimate present “Again to the Starting” in Birmingham, England.
“For him to really feel that the journey was coming to a respectful finish, that fulfilling finish that he wanted so the e-book might be closed… and I knew in my coronary heart that he wished to try this,” Ulrich stated of Osbourne’s dedication to play the present and provides followers a correct farewell regardless of his well being points.
Stern went on to ask Ulrich if he had an opportunity to personally say goodbye to Ozzy throughout that ultimate live performance and if he had any “sense he was going to be lifeless in just a few days?”
“No, no… we hung, we stated good day, we hugged,” Ulrich recalled of his interactions with Osbourne simply 17 days earlier than his dying.
“We had been simply sitting doing small discuss, but it surely was so heat and he was very current, coherent. It was simply his physique that was not in good condition, however his thoughts… he was eloquent and speaking and within the second.”
He continued, admitting that on the time he wasn’t so certain if Osbourne was even going to have the ability to carry out.
“I don’t assume I’m talking out of flip right here or being disrespectful — as followers I feel there was a way from all the opposite musicians and pals of Black Sabbath who had been there… we had been hoping for the perfect. We wished it to be the perfect. We wished it to be a grand slam, however we didn’t know, as a result of finally none of us knew what sort of form they had been in.”
“Then Ozzy got here in singing and sounded nice, hit all of the notes and the lyrics and the timings and everyone was like, ‘that is gonna be effective, they’re gonna f–king kill it.’”
“Clearly it was the top of the music and the top of the dwell expertise, but it surely wasn’t like… sure, he wasn’t in nice form, however no one walked away from that three or 4 day weekend going, ‘that’s the final time we’ll see Ozzy,’” he stated.
Simply over two weeks later, Osbourne handed away from a coronary heart assault. To Ulrich, his dying got here as a whole shock, with him calling the information “surreal” and “indescribable.”
“We had been all simply so surprised. So unhappy. However on the identical time he received to dwell, to perform that live performance and that look that had been in him since earlier than COVID. He received up there, he performed [five solo songs and four Sabbath songs]…. and I feel in all probability should you’re going go play [a] little quarterback/psychiatrist, Monday morning, possibly it was only a load off his shoulders and he received to perform what he wished and possibly he simply type of let go.”
