Alice Cooper is the latest high-profile artist to pay tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne live on stage, after he – and a special guest – covered a Black Sabbath classic during a recent gig in London, England.
Last Friday (July 25), days after news of Ozzy’s death had been announced, Cooper added Paranoid as a last-minute addition to his setlist, slotting it in after I Love the Dead and right before the curtain closer, School’s Out.
It came after Cooper released an emotional tribute to Ozzy online, after he heard of his friend’s death “just minutes before going on stage in Cardiff, Wales”.
For the cover during the London gig, Cooper was joined by actor/guitarist Johnny Depp, who made a late entry onto the stage and locked in alongside Nita Strauss, Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen to hold down Tony Iommi’s iconic riff.
Depp also had a stab at a solo, noticeably forgoing a guitar pick and instead noodling around the lower register of his Gibson Flying V using a fingerpicking style and some whammy bar action – something he most certainly picked up from his old friend, Jeff Beck.
Writing on social media prior to the Cardiff show, Cooper wrote, “Well, we all know that time is going to take us rockers, but when the giants fall, it’s really hard to accept. Even though everybody saw it coming with Ozzy, it just took our breath away when it happened.
“So Ozzy and family – your records and your music and your legend and all that you brought – the humor to the rock business – will live on forever and we’re gonna miss you man.”
Ozzy Osbourne passed away last week at the age of 76, weeks after his Back to the Beginning farewell show. In the wake of his passing, the guitar world has come out to pay tribute to his life, legacy, music and memory.
Wolfgang Van Halen has also paid tribute to the late Black Sabbath singer on stage, adding Mama, I'm Coming Home to his band's setlist after they heard about Ozzy's death during their soundcheck.
Zakk Wylde, Ozzy's longest-serving guitarist, recently sat down with Guitar World to look back on their final moments together onstage.
