During his sold-out concert at the O2 Arena in London last July 25, Alice Cooper, wearing an Ozzy shirt, covered Black Sabbath‘s “Paranoid” with Johnny Depp as a special guest. They dedicated the song to the band’s vocalist Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away this week at the age of 76. After the show was over, the speakers in the arena played “Crazy Train”.
See Alice Cooper honor Ozzy Osbourne by playing “Paranoid” with Johnny Depp
Last tuesday, when Ozzy’s death was announced, Alice, who was touring in England, paid tribute to the musician. The following statement was released: “Tonight, we found out that the world lost Ozzy just minutes before going on stage in Cardiff, Wales, which is about 2 hours from the place where Ozzy was born.
Before going on 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 tonight’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 n roll. Following the show, 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.”
He continued:
“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 n roll legend. Rock n 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.’ Rest easy Ozzy and we’ll see you on the other side! – Alice, Sheryl, Chuck, Ryan, Tommy, Nita, Glen”.
