ZAKK WYLDE Looks Back On His Life With Ozzy Osbourne: “He Had A Heart Of Gold”

Black Label Society frontman and longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde has opened up about the passing of his late friend and mentor, reflecting on decades spent alongside the heavy metal legend. Wylde was a cornerstone of Osbourne’s solo band for much of his career — a run that helped cement Osbourne’s legacy as a two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, both as a solo artist and as the frontman of Black Sabbath.

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times about “the boss,” Wylde remembered Ozzy’s unmatched humor, resilience, and warmth — along with the wild moments the two shared on tour and in the studio.

Wylde also reflected on Ozzy’s final days leading up to his passing on July 22nd from a heart attack. Despite ongoing health issues, the 76-year-old Prince of Darkness managed to perform two farewell sets at an all-star tribute show titled ‘Back To The Beginning’, celebrating both his solo career and his work with Black Sabbath.

When asked if he believed Ozzy knew that would be his final performance, Wylde replied:

“No, I don’t think so. The way I always felt, all the things that I’ve gone through with them, it was always — if it was a setback or anything like that — it was more of a speed bump… I knew he still wanted to make records and things like that. But I was just thinking, ‘Who knows, man, hopefully if this thing goes over well, then we might be able to do some other shows or do select shows throughout the year.’ Like these Ozzfest-type things, just so Oz can still keep doing gigs, but maybe not touring in the capacity of doing four shows a week or whatever.”

Wylde compared Ozzy’s presence to that of rock icons who seem larger than life:

“It’s just like with the Stones, you just always think they’re going to be there. I felt like that with us… You never think it’s your last Super Bowl; you’re playing and you’re playing to win. So, yeah, I didn’t think about it… There was no quit in him.”

When asked what he hopes people will remember most about his fallen bandmate, Wylde closed with heartfelt praise:

“Like I said, he had a heart of gold, man. It was that he had all the best qualities you’d want in somebody; his heart of gold, and then you couple that with him just being hard as nails and tough, no quit ever.”

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