Alice Cooper pays tribute to “unmatched showman and cultural icon” Ozzy Osbourne

Alice Cooper is among the countless artists who have paid respects to Ozzy Osbourne following news of his passing.

The death of the heavy metal pioneer and iconic Black Sabbath frontman was announced yesterday (July 22). He was aged 76, and his family said in a statement that he was “surrounded by love” at the time of his passing.

Countless artists and fans have since paid their respects to the legendary singer and shared how he inspired them and how he shaped the music industry as a whole. One of the latest tributes has come from fellow rock singer Alice Cooper, who recalled the “immense respect” he has for Osbourne.

“The whole world is mourning Ozzy tonight,” he said. “Over his long career, he earned immense respect among his peers and from fans around the world as an unmatched showman and cultural icon.”

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“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,” Cooper added. “He was and will continue to be a rock n’ roll legend. Rock n’ 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.

“Sharon, Jack, Kelly, Aimee and the rest of the Ozzy brood – our prayers are with you tonight. A titanic boulder has crashed, but rock will roll on.“

Alice Cooper and his band played a show in Cardiff last night too, and dedicated the full performance to the late artist.

While the ‘Poison’ singer said in his tribute that he had hoped to have “gotten to know” Osbourne better, the two have worked together briefly in the past. Ozzy famously provided backing vocals to Cooper’s song ‘Hey Stoopid’. That track was shared in 1991 as the title track from his 12th studio album, and also saw features from Slash, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.

The two worked together again on the song ‘Wake The Dead’, which featured on Cooper’s 2008 album ‘Along Came A Spider’. Check out both collaborations below.

Alice Cooper is playing a show at The O2 in London this Friday (July 25) alongside Judas Priest, and is likely to pay more tributes to the late frontman there.

Ozzy’s passing comes just over two weeks since his final-ever show, both as a solo artist and with Black Sabbath. During the day-long ‘Back To The Beginning’ celebration, acts like Metallica, Pantera, Slayer and more all paid tribute to Ozzy and Sabbath, playing covers of the founding metal band’s hits. That gig would go on to raise nearly £200million for charity, and will be shared as a concert film next year.

Alongside Cooper, Other big names who have paid tribute to Osbourne are Elton John, Metallica, Tom Morello, Gojira, Ghost, and  Yungblud – who performed at ‘Back To The Beginning’ and personally gifted a custom-made gold cross to Osbourne at the final show – check them out here.

Ozzy’s Black Sabbath bandmates have all issued individual tributes since the news of his passing, too. Guitarist Tony Iommi wrote: “I just can’t believe it! My dear dear friend Ozzy has passed away only weeks after our show at Villa Park. It’s just such heartbreaking news that I can’t really find the words, there won’t ever be another like him. Geezer, Bill and myself have lost our brother. My thoughts go out to Sharon and all the Osbourne family. Rest in peace Oz.”

Drummer Bill Ward wrote: “Where will I find you now? In the memories, our unspoken embraces, our missed phone calls, no, you’re forever in my heart. Deepest condolences to Sharon and all family members. RIP Sincere regrets to all the fans. Never goodbye. Thank you forever.”

Bassist Geezer Butler added: “Goodbye dear friend – thanks for all those years – we had some great fun. 4 kids from Aston- who’d have thought, eh? So glad we got to do it one last time, back in Aston. Love you.”

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