Lamb Of God’s Randy Blythe has paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, thanking him for his support when he faced “serious legal issues” back in 2012.
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Blythe’s band were among those who performed at Black Sabbath‘s farewell gig ‘Back to the Beginning’, which fell just weeks before Ozzy’s death on Tuesday (July 22), aged 76. He now joins the scores of artists paying tribute to the heavy metal icon, and, in his post, thanked the late singer for standing up for him during a turbulent legal time.
Back in 2012, Blythe was imprisoned in the Czech Republic for over a month following an incident at a Lamb of God show two years earlier, in which a fan tragically died after falling off the stage.
Blythe thanked Ozzy for his support throughout that period and the subsequent trial, where he was ultimately acquitted. As he went on to relay to the Guardian, the prosecuting attorney at the time “apparently did not like the fact that [Blythe] had been given bail”, so made an objection halting his release, prompting Ozzy to intervene.
“Ozzy and Sharon both said things via social media in support of me, but more importantly, they wrote a letter to the judge attesting to my character and offering to throw an Ozzfest concert in Prague, the proceeds from which would go to any desired charity,” he explained.
“They didn’t ask them to find me not guilty, they just wanted them to honour my bail. It’s not cheap to put on an Ozzfest, so the fact that they were willing to do that, and stick up for a member of their extended musical family, speaks volumes to their character.”
He reflected on the experience on Instagram, writing: “Yes, Ozzy was a TRUE ROCK N’ ROLL MADMAN- they don’t build ’em like him anymore. But I also knew him as a kind & gentle man who, alongside his family, did so much for my band, & more personally, spoke out publicly on my behalf when I was facing serious legal issues.
“When you are in a foreign prison & inmates you don’t know come up to you suddenly acting impressed & saying ‘Ozzy Osbourne says good things for you!’ in broken English… trust me, it makes a difference. Thank you for that, mate.”
Speaking to NME earlier this year, Blythe had heaped praise on Black Sabbath, who he defined as the “first heavy metal band” in existence.
“I don’t care what anybody says, heavy metal was born in Birmingham, England, with four dudes: Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Ozzy Osbourne. For years now, every time we play Birmingham, I say: ‘Thank you, Black Sabbath for creating heavy metal and giving me a job.’
“We toured with the original line-up in 2004 at the Ozzfest. It was incredible and it came at a critical time for Lamb Of God, because it was our first major label release [‘Ashes Of The Wake’], so our fanbase was expanding rapidly. Then, in 2007, we were both main support for Ozzy, and then joined the band for the ‘Heaven And Hell’ tour with Ronnie James Dio – so Sabbath has done a lot for our career.”
In his tribute to Ozzy, Blythe shared plans to auction of a signed pair of shoes for charity. There were only 121 pairs of the Adidas trainers made as a thank you to ‘Back to the Beginning’ performers.
“I told Ozzy I was going to auction them off to further benefit the charities that the concert raised money for, & he was well pleased by this,” the musician wrote. “And so I shall. This is how I would like to thank & honor him for all he did for music, my band, & myself. The shoes will be part of a larger auction that is being organized right now. Details soon.”
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