Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford has revealed the profound impact of Ozzy Osbourne’s death, describing how he “just curled up in a ball and bawled my eyes out for hours” after receiving the devastating news last month (as per Rolling Stone).
Speaking to Detroit radio station WRIF’s ‘Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown’, Halford admitted he was completely unprepared for the loss of the Black Sabbath legend. “I just couldn’t believe it,” he said. “I still can’t believe it now. I’m still grieving, like so many people.”
Osbourne died of a heart attack aged 76 on 22nd July, with fans filling the streets of Birmingham for his funeral on 30th July, chanting his name and playing Black Sabbath’s music in tribute to the heavy metal icon.
The timing proved particularly challenging for Halford, as Judas Priest was scheduled to perform the day after Osbourne’s death. Determined to honour his late friend’s memory, the band incorporated a meaningful tribute into their set. They performed “Giants in the Sky” from their *Invincible Shield* album, a song that Halford explained “talks about people that we love in music that have moved on to this beautiful place.”
“And then for that show, we added Ozzy at the end,” Halford revealed, highlighting the spontaneous nature of their tribute to someone he described as having a “larger-than-life personality.”
The connection between the two metal legends ran deep, with Halford reflecting on their shared musical history. He recalled the “wonderful memories of the two opportunities I was able to sing for him with Sabbath” and their recent collaboration covering “War Pigs”, which Judas Priest continues to perform at the start of their shows.
“That connection will never be severed in that respect,” Halford said, noting that “War Pigs” remains “one of the greatest metal songs ever written.”
Despite their friendship spanning decades, Halford admitted he couldn’t quite remember their last conversation. “We used to text occasionally,” he said. “It’s been a while since we’ve been in touch.” He also revealed that he was unable to attend Osbourne’s farewell show in early July.
Earlier this month, Osbourne’s cause of death was officially confirmed through a death certificate, which listed the heart attack as occurring “out of hospital” with “coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease” as contributing factors.
