A look back on Jack Black's wild Ozzy Osbourne tribute at 2024 Rock & Rock Hall of Fame induction: ‘The Jack Nicholson of rock'
Jack Black gave Ozzy Osbourne a raucous Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in October, just nine months before the legendary heavy metal rocker's death at age 76 on Tuesday.
Osbourne said he was looking forward to Black's speech inducting him into the avowed institution as a solo artist, nearly 20 years after he was part of its Class of 2006 with his Black Sabbath bandmates, telling Rolling Stone he was 'always a big fan' of the actor.
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6 Jack Black and Ozzy Osbourne at the metal icon's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in October 2024.
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6 Ozzy Osbourne at the Moscow Music Peace Festival in 1989.
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'Jack invited my family to the 'School of Rock' movie premiere in 2002,' Osbourne reflected. 'I've always been a big fan of his. Jack is one of the few great actors that is also a genuine rock & roller and not acting the part.'
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And during last fall's highly anticipated moment, Black, 55, did not disappoint.
Read Jack Black's wild Ozzy Osbourne tribute at 2024 Rock Hall induction
'Plumber, car horn tuner, slaughterhouse worker, the greatest frontman in the history of rock 'n' roll. Ozzy Osbourne.
'I remember the first time I heard of Ozzy. I was 13 years old, wandering around the record store. What should I get? Sticks? Journey? An older rock aficionado noticed my indecision, and he said, 'Stop f–king around, kid. This is the album you need to get, 'The Blizzard of Ozz.' Man, was he right! Thank you, nameless rock aficionado, wherever you are, you changed my life. I remember looking at that album cover at Ozzy's face before I even heard the music. I was transfixed. He looked so cool, that red-white suit with the white fringe on the sleeves, that crazy look in his eyes, the skull, the cross — Holy s–t. The whole thing just looked so badass. It was the most metal thing I'd ever seen, and I didn't even know what metal was. He was teaching me. I didn't realize I was entering a whole new world of heavy metal music.
6 Jack Black and Ozzy Osbourne during the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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6 Jack Black gave an induction speech that was fitting for the Prince of Darkness.
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'I took that record home, and when the needle hit, the vinyl heaven opened up above me, I don't know. Then track two, 'Crazy Train.' There was an explosion of colors in my brain. 'Suicide Solution.' 'Mr. Crowley,' 'Revelation,' even 'Goodbye to Romance.' You best believe Ozzy could take it down a notch. He could do it all. 'Blizzard of Ozz' was the best thing I'd ever heard. A heavy metal masterpiece. That f–king sound was raw power. Randy f–king Rhodes, yeah, giving Eddie Van Halen a run for his money. And Ozzy, that voice, it could cut through a glass. Magic, joy, beauty.
'So then I went back into Ozzy's earlier albums, to Black Sabbath, and I was, like, unholy s–t. This motherf–ker invented heavy metal, along with Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and the immortal Tony Iommi, the darkest, heaviest s–t the world had ever heard. And through all that power, Ozzy's voice carving through the sonic blast furnace like an air raid siren, he made the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. Clear and crisp as a morning bell, and that smile, he looked so happy, he looked insane. So much charisma, the Jack Nicholson of rock.
6 The two artists share a heartfelt moment during the ceremony.for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
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'He invented a genre, had the greatest second-act comeback in rock history. Then what? How about 'No More Tears' in 1991 with the guitar god Zakk Wylde proving insane, lasting power, five times platinum. You heard me right! Quintuple platt. It was then that he decided to totally touch his tender side. So he called up Lemmy Kilmister from Motorhead, naturally, and together with Zakk, they wrote, 'Mama, I'm Coming Home.' And thus, Ozzy took a little dip into the Top 40 just to prove he could. Then what? The Osbornes? Yeah, he teamed up with his family to create another genre, reality TV, maybe the most evil thing he ever did. But there is no denying it, his whole family were f–king hilarious and intensely entertaining. Another f–king massive bit. Then what? Oh, maybe just a little thing called Ozzfest, only the most successful heavy metal music festival of all time. Ozzy, stop creating incredibly successful, genre-defining, world-changing hits. It's too much success for one lifetime.
'And you know, a lot has been made of his evil alliance with the Dark Lord Satan. But in truth, Ozzy is a loving father, and husband, and friend, loyal to his family and friends to the end of the world and back.
6 Jack Black listens to Ozzy Osbourne speak.
Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
'And now I stand here, just another nameless rock aficionado. And I'm talking to you, 13-year-olds watching the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. All five of you put down your phones unless you're watching on the phone, then put it closer to your face. Oh, man, rock aficionado is about to drop some truth. Sure, you could go stream Post Malone and Taylor Swift and get all the warm hugs you need for your broken hearts, or you can stay up all night and get your minds blown by Ozzy's entire catalog for the first time.
'Holy s–t, you kids are so f–king lucky.'
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