Before his July 22 death at age 76, Ozzy Osbourne acknowledged Yungblud as a kindred spirit. In addition to killer pipes and some surprisingly similar pre-show rituals, both British artists have fully embraced their wild onstage personas. The Prince of Darkness and his 28-year-old heir apparent first struck up a friendship when Ozzy and wife Sharon appeared in the music video for Yungblud’s 2022 song “The Funeral.” Remaining close for the rest of the “Crazy Train” singer’s life, Yungblud recently shared the best piece of advice Ozzy Osbourne ever gave him.
Videos by American Songwriter
Ozzy Osbourne Saw “A Little Bit of Himself” in Yungblud
Yungblud and Ozzy Osbourne’s similarities become apparent early in their life stories. Both had a rough time in school as children, likely owing in part to their diagnoses with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD.)
Growing up an opinionated, energetic child in South Yorkshire, England, Yungblud (whose real name is Dominic Richard Harrison) often looked to Ozzy as his weird, wacky “north star.” And although they say, “Never meet your heroes,” the “Hello Heaven, Hello” crooner says quite the opposite proved true in this case.
“The most beautiful thing he ever said to me was, ‘Never compromise. They’ll get it later,’” Yungblud said this week during an appearance on Steve-O’s Wild Ride! podcast. “It sounds like such a passive statement… but I think when you really kind of sit on that for a while… a lot of people always had an issue with my energy, you know what I mean? And people would think I’m too nuts. And I think when someone’s crazy, people find it hard to believe that I’m actually like this all the f—ing time.”
He continued, “And I think when after, like, kind of kicking it with Sharon… she said he saw a little bit of himself in me. I think not because we made the same music, just because we’re f—ing a bit nuts.”
[RELATED: Yungblud Will Join Aerosmith Members for Ozzy Osbourne Tribute at VMAs]
On Meeting Your Heroes
Ozzy Osbourne gifted Yungblud a cross that the younger rocker still wears regularly, and he has vowed to perform Black Sabbath’s 1972 hit “Changes” every night in his hero’s honor.
“I don’t know, man. I think, like, when you have loved someone your whole life, and then you get to know them and they are… like pure and beautiful and exactly what you wanted, but even more—it’s f—ing cool, man,” Yungblud told Steve-O.
Featured image by Dave Benett/Getty Images
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.