Black Sabbath Drummer Reveals How Ozzy Osbourne Felt About the Singer Who Replaced Him
It has been an emotional month for Black Sabbath fans. If seeing the four members reunite to play one farewell show wasn't emotional enough, then they had their hearts broken by the shocking death of just a few weeks later. With emotions flying, metalheads dove into their discography and soon remembered that, oh yeah, Ozzy wasn't Sabbath's only singer.
Yes, Black Sabbath (Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward) fired Osbourne in 1979 over his substance abuse and an overall disinterest in doing anything with the band. They replace Ozzy with Ronnie James Dio, ushering in the "Heaven and Hell" era—and the longstanding rumor that Ozzy held a grudge against Dio. But is that true?
"Ozzy would always tell me how he loved Ronnie," said Vinny Appice in a new interview with Truck Nation With Eddie Trunk, per Metal Hammer. Appice, 67, played drums for Rick Derringer in the 1970s. Black Sabbath asked him to replace Ward during the Heaven and Hell tour in 1980, after Ward's personal issues led him to take a break from the band.
Appice would play with the Dio-era Sabbath, the spin-off band Heaven and Hell, and on the albums Mob Rules and Live Evil. He would also follow Ronnie James when he started his solo band, Dio.
"Everybody created this thing that they hate each other, but Ozzy used to talk about it all the time. Things get blown up on the internet, and you don't know the truth, really, what's going on," said Appice. "He used to sit down and tell me about Ronnie, too. You know, he really liked Ronnie and this and that."
In 2022, Osbourne said on his SiriusXM show, Ozzy Speaks, that he thought Dio "did a good job" fronting Black Sabbath. He also admitted he felt sad over getting sacked at the time, since Sabbath was "the only thing that ever really happened to me."
And he did admit that he still hadn't listened to the Dio-era Sabbath albums. "It's like my ex-wife," he said. "You leave a band like that, it's just like getting divorced."Black Sabbath Drummer Reveals How Ozzy Osbourne Felt About the Singer Who Replaced Him first appeared on Parade on Jul 28, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Solve the daily Crossword
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Kelly Osbourne shows off Ozzy's fittingly edgy floral arrangement tribute
Ozzy Osbourne won't lose his signature wild child spark, even posthumously, as daughter Kelly showed off the late rocker's very fitting floral arrangement after he was buried this week. 'The Osbournes' alum on Friday shared a snap of dark magenta flowers spelling out 'OZZY F—ING OSBOURNE,' as they lined the bank of a lake near their family home in England. The Prince of Darkness — who died last week at age 76 after longstanding health battles, including Parkinson's disease — was laid to rest earlier this week in his native Birmingham, where thousands packed the streets to honor the singular artist. Fans cried out the Black Sabbath star's name as Kelly and her brother, Jack, escorted their mother Sharon to lay flowers atop the many bouquets from his admirers. Emotional as the family was during the widely watched funeral procession, an insider previously told People that 'Ozzy would never want a mope-fest,' adding his loved ones were planning a 'small, private funeral.' Just weeks prior to his death, the Grammy winner played his farewell concert and Black Sabbath reunion show in his hometown, where he performed from a chair because he was physically unable to stand. Along with Sharon, Kelly and Jack, Osbourne is also survived by his and Sharon's oldest daughter, Aimee, as well as Louis and Jessica from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, whose son Elliot he also adopted.
Fox News
5 hours ago
- Fox News
Jessica Simpson suggests ‘mistakes' were made by estranged husband in candid comments about divorce
Jessica Simpson is not sugarcoating her heartbreak. Simpson, 45, opened up about her unexpected split from Eric Johnson after 10 years of marriage. Although the "Irresistible" singer revealed that the separation wasn't something she saw coming, Simpson didn't shy away from acknowledging that both she and Johnson made missteps in their relationship. "I choose love because if I chose to be resentful or if I chose to let the pain of it overwhelm me, I would fail," she told Parade. She added, "And so I had to choose love and loving people through their mistakes. If I'm going to love through my mistakes, I have to love others through their mistakes. And that really was probably the biggest lesson of all." While Simpson looks ahead and puts the past behind her, she's also returning to music following a 15-year hiatus. In March, she released an EP called "Nashville Canyon, Part 1," and in September, she's set to release the follow-up, "Nashville Canyon, Part 2." "When I was in Nashville and recording, I was going through a really hard time, an unexpected change of life," Simpson reflected. "I don't think I've ever been so confused. But I didn't let the confusion, the heartbreak, the negativity of that hold me back." Simpson emphasized her determination to remain strong — not just for herself, but for her kids and even Johnson. The "Take My Breath Away" singer explained that she needed "to get to a place where I can have grace and compassion for the situation — for the sake of my kids — and be strong for myself, for my kids, for my family, even for Eric. I am a leader." Simpson shares three children with Johnson — daughters Maxwell and Birdie and son Ace. As she goes through a transitional chapter in her life, Simpson said she's looking on the brighter side of things. "It is so important to bright‑side the s--- out of things. I'm a very optimistic person, and I know everything happens for a reason, and I know the truth sets you free." Reps for Simpson did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. In January, Simpson shared that the couple "have been living separately" but did not reveal any details on the timeline of their split. "Eric and I have been living separately, navigating a painful situation in our marriage," Simpson previously said in a statement to People. "Our children come first, and we are focusing on what is best for them. We are grateful for all of the love and support that has been coming our way and appreciate privacy right now as we work through this as a family."
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Beloved '60s Rock Icon Suddenly 'Slipped Away' 39 Years Ago Today and Changed Music Forever
Beloved '60s Rock Icon Suddenly 'Slipped Away' 39 Years Ago Today and Changed Music Forever originally appeared on Parade. Of all the rock bands in the world, it's safe to say that the Grateful Dead's fans are known for being perhaps the most devoted in music history — with the band's late lead guitarist and singer, Jerry Garcia, inspiring the most love of all the members in listeners around the world. So when Garcia lapsed into a diabetic coma on July 10, 1986, fans were absolutely devastated. And while he woke up five days later, the aftermath of Garcia's coma would change the course of the Grateful Dead's future. As The Los Angeles Times reported that week, Garcia "was hospitalized after slipping into a diabetic coma" as a result of an infection caused by an abscessed tooth. According to The Wrap, his blood sugar was the second highest the doctors at Marin General Hospital in California had ever seen, and his kidneys had shut down. "His heart stopped,' his wife at the time, Carolyn Adams (Mountain Girl), said later. 'He died. The hospital didn't want anyone to know this, but he died. They had to resuscitate him.' Adams was told her husband might be brain-damaged if he survived. Miraculously, Garcia came out of his coma five days later, but he had a long road of recovery ahead which involved learning how to play guitar again (in addition to walking and other basic skills). In an interview recovered by Grateful Ramblings and published by Rock and Roll Garage in 2021, Garcia reflected on the "very weird" experience of being in a coma. "My main experience was one of furious activity and tremendous struggle in a sort of futuristic, space-ship vehicle with insectoid presences," he recalled. "After I came out of my coma, I had this image of myself as these little hunks of protoplasm that were stuck together kind of like stamps with perforations between them that you could snap off.' After waking up, Garcia explained, 'I was pretty scrambled. It was as though in my whole library of information, all the books had fallen off the shelves and all the pages had fallen out of the books. I would speak to people and know what I meant to say, but different words would come out. So I had to learn everything over again. I had to learn how to walk, play the guitar, everything." Only five months later, the Grateful Dead were back on the road again. Garcia's renewed health helped to inspire their 1987 comeback record, In the Dark, which became their best-selling studio album. 'Garcia's return was greeted as a veritable Second Coming by his fans,' Garcia's biographer, Blair Jackson, wrote. Sadly, Garcia would continue to struggle with his health in the years to come. In an attempt to deal with his ongoing addictions, Garcia checked into Betty Ford Clinic in July 1995, then Serenity Knolls, a Bay Area holistic health retreat, two weeks later. He died in his room there on August 9, 1995, after suffering a heart attack. He was 53 years '60s Rock Icon Suddenly 'Slipped Away' 39 Years Ago Today and Changed Music Forever first appeared on Parade on Jul 10, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 10, 2025, where it first appeared. Solve the daily Crossword
