Alice Cooper Remembers the Two Sides of ‘Cultural Icon' Ozzy Osbourne
In a statement shared on Instagram, Cooper heaped praise on the Black Sabbath singer, writing: 'Over his long career, he earned immense respect among his peers and from fans around the world as an unmatched showman and cultural icon. 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.'
More from Rolling Stone
Watch Coldplay Honor Ozzy Osbourne With Cover of Black Sabbath's 'Changes'
Metallica Remember Their Friend Ozzy Osbourne: 'Hero, Icon, Pioneer, Inspiration, Mentor'
Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward Mourn Ozzy Osbourne: 'Lost Our Brother'
Cooper said Osbourne 'was and will continue to be a rock n roll legend,' and expressed his condolences to Osbourne's family. 'Rock n Roll is a family and a fraternity,' he wrote. 'When we lose one of our own it bleeds. I wish I would have gotten to know my brother Ozzy better… A titanic boulder has crashed, but rock will roll on.'
As Cooper noted in his post, he learned of Osbourne's death just a couple of minutes before performing a show in Cardiff, Wales. He shared a short video of him and his band huddling up before taking the stage and dedicating the performance to Osbourne.
Cooper also recorded a short audio message for his 'Alice's Attic' radio show, saying: '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.'
Osbourne's family confirmed his death at the age of 76 yesterday. An exact cause was not given, the musician had battled an array of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019. He died just weeks after performing a massive, all-star farewell concert, which included a final performance by Black Sabbath.
Along with Cooper, tributes to Osbourne have poured in from admirers like Pearl Jam, Elton John, Metallica, Coldplay, and the members of Black Sabbath.
Best of Rolling Stone
Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs
The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs
All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked
Solve the daily Crossword
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Kate Bush tribute held on 'Wuthering Heights Day'
A government minister was among dozens of women in Birmingham who took part in an event celebrating writer Emily Brontë and singer Kate Bush. The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever also raised funds for women's charities as the group joined thousands of people across the world recreating the video to Bush's 1978 song Wuthering Heights. Birmingham's inaugural event earlier was organised by The Heath Bookshop, in King's Heath. The proceedings were opened by Home Office minister and Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips. Charities set to benefit from the event include Anawim - Birmingham's Centre for Women and WE:ARE (Women's Empowerment And Recovery Educators). Shop owner Claire Dawes said it was a "great event" to put on "as the local community support the many arts events that happen here and always support charity events." The Most Wuthering Heights Day Ever events have previously taken place in locations such as Sydney, Copenhagen, Berlin, Folkestone, and Preston. For the first time this year the event was set to take place on moorland on Penistone Hill, not far from the famous Brontë sister's home in Haworth. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram. More on this story Kate Bush fans hold dance tribute on Brontë moors Fans recreate iconic Wuthering Heights dance New heights as Kate Bush fans 'come home'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Gethin Jones suffering after witnessing 'absolute spectacle' while on break from BBC Morning Live
Welsh TV presenter Gethin Jones has admitted he's 'feeling a bit dusty' after what he described as an unforgettable night for Welsh sport, watching two huge wins unfold back-to-back. The BBC Morning Live star is currently in Melbourne, where he caught both the Wales Women's rugby victory over Australia and the British & Irish Lions' dramatic series-clinching win at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) - a night he dubbed an 'absolute spectacle'. Taking to Instagram, Gethin shared his excitement and also hinted at the celebrations that followed. For the latest TV and showbiz gossip sign up to our newsletter READ MORE: Harry Redknapp's wife Sandra, 78, hospitalised READ MORE: John Torode gives update on marriage with Lisa Faulkner, admits 'changes' He wrote: 'What a night in Melbourne. Watching the women's @welshrugbyunion beat Australia… and then the absolute spectacle at the @mcg – @britishandirishlions clinch the series in dramatic fashion! 'Hats off them! (Wish I had) A bit dusty this morning!' Their win was partly down to Jac Morgan, who helped secure their dramatic win by clearing out Australia's Carlo Tizzano at the breakdown in the dying moments, allowing the team to retain possession and set up Hugo Keenan's match-winning try. You can read more about this here. Gethin is a passionate supporter of Welsh sport and often shares updates from matches, training camps, and major fixtures. But even by his own standards, Saturday night seemed like a night to remember, as Wales Women also stunned the Wallaroos in a nail biting game before the Lions sealed their series. Gethin shared a picture of himself in the crowd alongside some friends, as well as a selfie taken in a bar, with him and two others all beaming at the camera. It's been a busy week for the Welsh presenter, as he visited Cardiff just a few weeks ago to talk about his new role as the Chef de Mission for Team Wales ahead of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Speaking about his latest venture, he said: 'To be trusted in this role is a huge responsibility and the focus I've seen in the last few months since I've come on board has been mind-blowing. 'Everyone striving for excellence from performance to organisational operations and everything in between has been amazing.' He continued: 'When I see someone achieve their very best performance, when it really matters under pressure, that's what inspires me. 'That will go with us into Glasgow, and of course as it has been the case for the last few cycles as well, what truly matters is how we hold ourselves.' You can read more about his thoughts taking on his new role, and how he is balancing everything here.
Gizmodo
an hour ago
- Gizmodo
The Spice Girls and Wu-Tang Clan Almost Had Their Own Anime
Now, here's a sentence no one expected to read in the year 2025: Once upon a time, we might have gotten to see the Spice Girls and the Wu-Tang Clan in anime form. In a recent interview with AnimEigo, Lawrence Guinness, a senior VP at Manga Entertainment, distributor of anime such as Perfect Blue and Street Fighter Alpha (and subsidiary of Island Records), revealed the company considered co-producing its own works. Two projects he mentioned would have starred the aforementioned bands, and the Spice Girls idea got far enough along that he had some production stills to show. Had it happened, it'd have been a film called Girl Power: The Anime, courtesy of Production I.G, the studio behind Ghost in the Shell. According to Guinness, Manga had 'very advanced talks' with the British pop group's management at the time this was pitched and would've hopefully appealed to fans of then-popular anime like Studio Ghibli. Even now, Guinness is confident teenage girls 'might've gone to the cinema to see this. In fact, I think you would've stood in a line for a long time to get in to see this. This was the vision. Look, if that's not girl power in action, I don't know what is.' As for the never-realized Wu-Tang project, a series that would have been called The Imperial Warrior, he claimed near everything was in place for the project, except some of the hip-hop group's members didn't sign off on it. His pitch to Island Records founder Chris Blackwell saw Wu-Tang 'challenging the forces of evil through their music and martial arts skills.' The soundtrack and designs for the characters (he mentioned RZA and Ghostface Killah specifically) were 'great,' said Guinness, and it would've been 'revolutionary. That was the project I was proudest of that never happened.' Over the decades, Japanese creators have been open about their love of western music, and artists like the late Prince and Aaliyah have inspired characters in Michiko & Hatchin and My Hero Academia. Making musicians or other celebrities into fictionalized versions of themselves for film and TV is another tale as old as time, and Guinness wanted these two projects to take off to both put Manga on the map and successfully 'synthesize anime with the best of western culture.' When it comes to Wu-Tang Clan, he's sort of gotten his wish, thanks to RZA's involvement in Afro Samurai and developer Brass Lion Entertainment's upcoming action game Wu-Tang: Rise of the Deceiver. As for the Spice Girls, it's a shame they never got their animated due—there are worse ways for a band to be memorialized than an anime movie with some original songs and cheesy action that still holds up years after the fact. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
