Ozzy Osbourne‘s longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde has revealed that the Black Sabbath icon wanted to record another album shortly before his death.
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The Prince of Darkness passed away in July at the age of 76, just 17 days after he played one final show as the frontman of Black Sabbath at a concert at Villa Park in Birmingham.
Speaking to NJ.com, Wylde – who was Ozzy’s longtime guitarist for his solo project – revealed that he wasn’t ready for the legendary metal frontman’s passing so soon after the ‘Back To The Beginning’ gig as Ozzy had just texted him around that period to discuss the idea of recording another album together.
“He was texting me, ‘Zakk, let’s do another record. Because I really loved it when you were going through your Allman Brothers, Skynyrd phase when we did ‘No More Tears,’ it’s heavy but it’s more melodic, it’s not pummeling heavy,’” Wylde told the publication. “So I said, ‘Alright Oz, whatever you want.’”
Elsewhere during the chat, Zakk Wylde reflected on Ozzy’s passing and how he had done everything he wanted to do before dying: “We did the show, he ended up finishing his book, they did the documentary, and then he was like, ‘All right, I’m out of here.’ He finished everything he had to do and then he was like, ‘All right, I’m done.’”
Two documentaries have been released chronicling the final years of Ozzy’s life, Ozzy: No Escape From Now on Paramount+ and the BBC doc Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, which saw the rock legend reflect on the final Sabbath gig: “What was terribly frustrating for me, I had to sit there instead of running across the stage,” he said. “That was fucking torture, because I wanted to get off that [chair] so much.”
But he added: “It was very humbling, to sit in that chair for nine songs. What a great way to go out, that gig was.”
In late July, Wylde reflected on performing with Ozzy one last time: “Everybody and their mother were in the backstage dressing room and I just wanted to give him a break. I figured we’d see him later on – the next day or whatever. But no. The last text I got from Oz was saying, ‘Zakky, sorry, it was like a madhouse back there. I didn’t see you.’ He goes, ‘Thanks for everything.’ It was just us talking, saying, ‘I love you, buddy.’ That was it.”
