Pop superstar Lady Gaga paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at the end of her concert Tuesday night (July 22) in San Francisco, California. As Ozzy‘s classic song “Crazy Train” blasted through the Chase Center speakers at her “Mayhem Ball” show, the singer ripped open her black leather jacket to reveal a black Ozzy t-shirt as she and her band danced down the catwalk to the main stage. At that point, they all lined up and jumped in place, banging their heads to the song’s signature opening riff.
A lifelong metal fan, Lady Gaga previously spoke about her love for IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH, calling the experience of seeing MAIDEN for the first time a “life-changing” event. The singer also appeared in photos with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Alice Cooper and ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante.
During a 2014 Reddit AMA, Gaga referred to herself as “a metal dudette” and said that she had “worked at a metal bar for years, and was a go-go dancer at rock ‘n’ roll clubs. Last night when I got my tattoo of the monster paw, I was listening to IRON MAIDEN, BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA, AC/DC, JUDAS PRIEST.”
Asked what her favorite metal song was, she said: “‘Black Sabbath’ by BLACK SABBATH. I need to write a song called ‘Lady Gaga’. It’s the most metal thing you can do!”
Ozzy died Tuesday morning (July 22),his family announced in a statement.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time,” the family said.
No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson’s disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.
Ozzy‘s death came a little more than two weeks after he took the stage for his final performance with BLACK SABBATH at Villa Park in the band’s original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. They performed four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.
The legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman was diagnosed in 2003 with Parkin 2 — a very rare genetic form of Parkinson’s. During a TV appearance in January 2020, the singer disclosed that he was ‘stricken” with the disease which occurs when the nerve cells of the body degenerate and levels of dopamine are reduced. Dopamine is an essential chemical that is produced by these nerve cells which send signals to different parts of the brain to control movements of the body.
Ozzy‘s health issues, including suffering a nasty fall and dislodging metal rods placed in his spine following a quad-bike accident in 2003, as well as catching COVID-19 three years ago, forced him to cancel some of his previously announced tours.
Despite his health problems, Osbourne had performed a couple of times in the last three years, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022 and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game in September 2022.
