The music world has been mourning the loss of the Metal Madman, Ozzy Osbourne, who died Tuesday, July 22, at age 76 after years of poor health. As ill as he was, Osburne recently was able to take part in perhaps one of the greatest sendoffs of all time, the star-packed “Back to the Beginning” concert, which included the singer delivering separate farewell sets with Black Sabbath and a solo backing band on July 5 in his hometown of Birmingham, England.
Since his passing, countless well-known musicians have paid tribute to Osbourne with heartfelt messages shared online.
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Many artists also have been acknowledging Ozzy during their concerts this week, including some of rock’s biggest legends. Among these stars are The Who, Rod Stewart, and longtime Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth.
Here are some details about those three artists’ onstage homages.
The Who
On the evening of July 22, The Who played a concert in Milan, Italy, the band’s second of two shows scheduled this past week in the country.
As seen in fan-shot video, after the band took the stage at the Parco Della Musica venue, guitarist Pete Townshend greeted the crowd, and then declared, “We’re gonna do this first song for Ozzy! God bless him.”
The Who then kicked into its 1964 U.K. hit “I Can’t Explain.”
At the end of the song, a photo of Osbourne with black wings sprouting from his back was shown on the video screen behind the stage.
Rod Stewart
Stewart paid tribute to Osbourne during his July 22 concert in Toronto at the Budweiser Stage. The 80-year-old U.K. superstar was about a third of the way through his show when he announced, “We’ll dedicate this one to you Ozzy,” and proceeded to belt out his poignant 1988 hit, “Forever Young.”
A photo of Osbourne also was posted on the video screen at Rod’s concert.
Earlier that day, Stewart posted a note on his social media pages in homage to the heavy metal great. “Bye, bye Ozzy,” he wrote. “Sleep well, my friend. I’ll see you up there — later rather than sooner.”
Stewart once shared a mic with Osbourne during the star-studded finale performance of the 2002 Party at the Palace event in London celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. Paul McCartney led a cast of stars in a rendition of The Beatles’ “All You Need Is Love.”
David Lee Roth
Roth kicked off a U.S. solo tour with a July 22 performance at the California Mid-State Fair in Paso Robles.
About halfway through his set, Diamond Dave stopped to chat with the crowd about how he became friends with Osbourne. He explained that he got to know Ozzy when Van Halen opened for Black Sabbath during a 22-city tour of the U.K. in 1978.
“I didn’t even know there were 22 cities in the United Kingdom,” Roth told the audience. “And Ozzy Osbourne and I became very, very good friends on that tour. And the sad news is that he has departed, OK?”
Dave continued, “And I once asked a Buddhist monk, ‘Do you think there’s laughter in heaven?’ And he told me, ‘No, I don’t think so.’ So, Ozzy Osbourne, save me a seat, and when I get to hell, we’ll have a drink, brother.”
Roth’s backing band then kicked into the rocking 1978 Van Halen tune “Atomic Punk,” as Dave declared, “In the name of Ozz.”
He later gave Osbourne another shout-out during a performance of Van Halen’s 1984 classic “Hot for Teacher.”
“I propose a toast in the name of rock ‘n’ roll, [and] in the name of Ozzy Osbourne,” Dave said.
Roth’s tour is plotted out through a September 14 concert in Napa, California.
(Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)