Ozzy Osbourne was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night. Check out what he said in his induction speech below.
The Prince of Darkness was previously inducted as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006, and last night (October 19) returned to receive the honour as a solo artist – something he’s been eligible for since 2006.
During the ceremony at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio, a tribute to the singer’s solo career was performed by Billy Idol, Tool‘s Maynard James Keenan, and country artist Jelly Roll, alongside a backing band comprised of bassist Rob Trujillo – who was in Osbourne’s band prior to joining Metallica – Zakk Wylde, Wolfgang Van Halen, Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith, guitarist Steve Stevens and producer Andrew Watt.
He was then inducted by Jack Black, who told the audience: “Sure, you could go stream Post Malone and Taylor Swift and get all the warm hugs you need for your broken hearts. OR you could stay up all night and get your minds blown by Ozzy’s entire catalogue for the first time. Holy shit! You kids are so fuckin’ lucky.”
Osbourne then took to the stage to give a brief thank-you speech. Read it in full below:
“Fucking love you guys. Well, here we are. You know what? I can’t believe I’m here myself. Let me get the thank yous out of the way, because I’m not going to bore you with a long, drawn-out fucking monologue. I’d like to thank whoever voted me into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for my solo work. A great thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
“My fans have been so loyal to me over the years, I cannot thank them enough. I’ve been fortunate over the years to play with some of the world’s greatest guitar players, drummers, bass players, and a few of them are here tonight. But I’ve got to say one thing for a guy by the name of Randy Rhoads. If I’d hadn’t have met Randy Rhoads, I don’t think I’d be sitting here now. And more so more than that, my wife Sharon. Saved my life. And my grandbabies and my babies. I love them all.
“So with all that, I’m gonna get on with the show and hand it back to Jack.”
Osbourne has previously honoured Rhoads, who was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Rhoads died in a plane crash whilst on tour with Osbourne and Black Sabbath in 1982. Prior to his death, he helped Osbourne write hits such as ‘Crazy Train’, ‘Mr. Crowley’ and ‘Flying High Again’, which saw him establish a career as a soloist after he was fired by Black Sabbath in 1979.
In other news, Osbourne continues to be linked with rumours of a final one-off reunion with Black Sabbath, with all four members including drummer Bill Ward appearing to be provisionally on board.
The singer previously shared that he would “jump at the chance” to play a final Black Sabbath show with Ward.
At the beginning of the year, Sharon Osbourne – Ozzy’s wife and manager – revealed that they are planning “two more shows to say goodbye” before he fully retires from performing live.
She reportedly hinted that the Prince Of Darkness, 75, would stage the pair of farewell concerts at the Villa Park football stadium in his home city of Birmingham.
Osbourne previously announced his retirement from touring last February, calling off his scheduled European and UK tour dates in the process. Later that month, however, he said he hoped to return to the stage at some point in the future.