Ozzy Osbourne Died…On My Birthday

As a music journalist, I’ve been lucky enough over the years to meet and interview some of my all-time favorite artists. Members of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, Van Halen, The Cult, Guns N’ Roses, AC/DC’s Brian Johnson, Glenn Danzig, Liam Gallagher – the list is endless. And one of the questions I get asked most is, “Don’t you get nervous when you talk to them?” It’s a fair query, and I always have the same answer: “Never.”

And it’s because of Ozzy.

Ozzy Osbourne died today (July 22) at the age of 76, which is, oddly enough, my birthday. His passing came mere weeks after what may very well have been the greatest day in heavy metal, all to celebrate his legacy. The daylong Back to the Beginning spectacular, which saw luminaries from across musical genres paying tribute to the Prince of Darkness in his hometown of Birmingham, England, was a who’s who from Yungblud to Slayer. Osbourne capped the night with a short solo set and a few songs with the band that started it all, Black Sabbath.

Read the rest of this piece over at Vanyaland to find out what happened with Ozzy, how I almost got into a fight with guitarist Zakk Wylde, and why I’m happy that this happened on the day I was born.

And here’s an epic performance of “Changes” by Yungblud from Back to the Beginning.