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Alice Cooper says Ozzy Osbourne was ‘unmatched showman and cultural icon'

Alice Cooper says Ozzy Osbourne was ‘unmatched showman and cultural icon'

Glasgow Times23-07-2025
Cooper, 77, whose real name is Vincent Damon Furnier, paid tribute to the heavy metal singer, joining the likes of Sir Elton John, Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood and other famous faces, after his death was announced on Tuesday evening.
Posting on Instagram, following a performance in Cardiff dedicated to the late singer, Cooper said: 'The whole world is mourning Ozzy tonight.
'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.
'He was and will continue to be a rock and roll legend. Rock and Roll is a family and a fraternity. 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.'
Also paying tribute to the late singer was Kermit the Frog, who worked with Osbourne on the album Kermit: Unpigged.
Ozzy Osbourne and Kermit the Frog worked together on an album (Peter Jordan/PA)
The statement, shared on The Muppets Instagram account, said: 'No-one rocked harder than the great Ozzy Osbourne.
'We loved working with him on our album Kermit: Unpigged. He recorded Born To Be Wild with Miss Piggy – the perfect song for both of them!
'Every time we bumped into Ozzy over the years, he made us feel just as cool as he was.
'We loved having a friend like Ozzy Osbourne and we feel so lucky to have known him, worked with him and experienced his music for so many decades.'
Sir Elton John remembered Osbourne as a 'huge trailblazer' who 'secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods'.
Writing on Instagram, Sir Elton said: 'He was also one of the funniest people I've ever met. I will miss him dearly. To Sharon and the family, I send my condolences and love. Elton xx.'
I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne 💔🙏 What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham🙏☀️❤️🎤 pic.twitter.com/Z6V2CNXWNG
— Ronnie Wood (@ronniewood) July 22, 2025
The Rolling Stones' Wood also paid tribute after joining Osbourne at Black Sabbath's last gig at Villa Park, Birmingham, earlier this month.
He posted on X: 'I am so very sad to hear of the death of Ozzy Osbourne.
'What a lovely goodbye concert he had at Back To The Beginning in Birmingham.'
Singer Yungblud, who sang Black Sabbath's Changes at the Back To The Beginning farewell concert on July 5, said he was 'heartbroken' by the news and called Osbourne 'the greatest of all time'.
'I didn't think you would leave so soon, the last time we met you were so full of life and your laugh filled up the room,' he wrote in a social media post.
Rock band Motorhead said they had lost a 'dear friend' in a post that recalled the band's late vocalist Lemmy's friendship with Osbourne.
The message read: 'We lost our dear friend today. Ozzy was a pioneer, a guiding force for all in hard rock and metal, and a great guy too.
'Lemmy and Ozzy were brothers in arms who enjoyed many adventures together, and his loss is seismic. RIP Ozzy, we will always love and celebrate you… '
AC/DC posted that Osbourne's death was a 'great loss to all that loved him', with Metallica members calling him an 'icon' and 'mentor' while sharing images from photographers Ross Halfin and Noah Abrams.
'He taught us how to play in the big leagues while at the same time being warm, welcoming, engaging, and all around brilliant,' they wrote on Instagram.
Among the other stars paying tribute were former footballer Sir David Beckham, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, Van Halen's Sammy Hagar, Jon Bon Jovi, singer Donny Osmond, Queen guitarist Sir Brian May and US movie star Adam Sandler, who said he felt 'so happy' that he was able to meet Osbourne.
Foo Fighters said in a social media post: 'Rock and Roll would not be as loud or as fun' without Osbourne, while Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant wrote he had 'truly changed the planet of rock'.
Kiss bassist Gene Simmons told NBC News that behind the outgoing stage persona was a 'loving father' and 'dedicated husband'.
'There was never an Ozzy before Ozzy,' he said.
Sir Brian said Osbourne's final concert earlier in the month 'was a glorious way to say goodbye' to the heavy metal vocalist who died on July 22 at the age of 76.
Actor Jason Momoa shared a photo of himself alongside Osbourne and his wife Sharon to Instagram, writing: 'Love you @ozzyosbourne All my aloha @sharonosbourne and ohana. So grateful.'
Aston Villa, Osbourne's home-town football club, said it was 'saddened' to learn of the star's passing.
'Growing up in Aston, not far from Villa Park, Ozzy always held a special connection to the club and the community he came from,' the club said.
An honour to have celebrated the extraordinary life and legacy of Ozzy Osbourne just weeks ago.
Devastated to hear the news of his death today. One of the greatest gifts my city gave the world.
My thoughts are with his family.
In Ozzy's own words: Birmingham forever. pic.twitter.com/SWfgYiJdty
— Shabana Mahmood MP (@ShabanaMahmood) July 22, 2025
'The thoughts of everyone at Aston Villa are with his wife Sharon, his family, friends, and countless fans at this extremely difficult time.'
Justice Secretary and Birmingham Ladywood MP Shabana Mahmood said she was among those who celebrated Osbourne's life and legacy just over two weeks ago.
She wrote on X: 'Devastated to hear the news of his death today. One of the greatest gifts my city gave the world.
'My thoughts are with his family. In Ozzy's own words: Birmingham forever.'
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