Ozzy Osbourne sadly passed away last July 22 at the age of 76, just a few weeks after playing one final show with his band and with Black Sabbath at the Villa Park in Birmingham, England. His longtime Sabbath bandmate Geezer Butler, who was also part of Osbourne’s solo band for a few years, praised him in an interview with Uncut. The Sabbath lyricist said he was always amazed with the ability the singer had to come up with vocal lines and melodies.
Geezer Butler praises Ozzy’s vocal lines and melodies
“Ozzy was the ultimate entertainer, one of the best frontman ever, if not the best. He knew how to work the fans into a frenzy. His skills as a singer were remarkable, his vocal lines and melodies always amazed me. Sabbath riffs aren’t the easiest to write melodies to, but he knew exactly how to do it. He interpreted my lyrics as if they came from his soul and heart. I was always astonished to hear how he interpreted them.”
“He was amazing to work with. He always knew how to make us laugh – even on stage he would be pulling silly faces at Tony and myself, unseen by the fans. We’d be playing these heavy, doomy riffs and he would do his best to crack us up laughing. There were so many moments of madness, such as when he stole someone’s motorbike when we were recording in Miami and took it for a joyride. The police called us around midnight and told us they had a Mr Osbourne in their jail and would someone come and bail him out. We said, ‘Nah, keep him in for the night.’ Luckily, the guy who owned the motorbike didn’t press charges.”
“When he went solo, he didn’t have the restraints of being in Sabbath. He was his own boss, so that era was when he was at his wildest: the Alamo incident, bat biting, dove head biting, snorting ants. He just seemed to let loose and he quickly gained the reputation of the wild man – his fans loved it,” Geezer Butler said.
Ozzy and Geezer played together in Sabbath from 1968 to 1979, until the singer was fired. From 1988 to 1989 and from 1995 to 1996, Butler was part of Ozzy’s band, reuniting in Sabbath from 1997 to 2025.
I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago.
Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions.
After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world!
MTB: 0021377/MG
