“I’m so eternally grateful and blessed that I was able to do that,” Rob Halford shared about recording his collaboration with the late musician
Judas Priest and Ozzy Osbourne trade lyrics about power and exploitation on their newly released duet of Black Sabbath‘s “War Pigs.” The release marks the first posthumous musical appearance from Osbourne since his death at the age of 76 in July. “It’s the first ever time in my entire life that I’ve been able to do a duet with Ozzy, and I’m so eternally grateful and blessed that I was able to do that,” frontman Rob Halford shared during a recent appearance on the Full Metal Jackie podcast.
“Ozzy’s singing a line and then I’m singing a line, and Ozzy’s singing a line and I’m singing a line,” Halford added. He credits his union with Osbourne to Sharon Osbourne, who was a fan of the Judas Priest version of “War Pigs,” which the band occasionally performed. “Is there a way we can get Ozzy?’” Halford recalled her asking. “I was [like], ‘You’re asking me? This is gonna happen!’”
While bittersweet that the release arrives in the wake of Osbourne’s death, Judas Priest are honoring him by having proceeds from the “War Pigs” single benefit relevant charity organizations. The Glenn Tipton Parkinson’s Foundation and Cure Parkinson’s will both receive donations.
Osbourne revealed his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis in 2020. “I got a numbness down this arm from the surgery; my legs keep going cold,” he said at the time. “I don’t know if that’s the Parkinson’s or what, you know, but that’s — see, that’s the problem. Because they cut nerves when they did the surgery. I’d never heard of nerve pain, and it’s a weird feeling.”
Sharon helped him explain the condition, noting, “There’s so many different types of Parkinson’s. It’s not a death sentence by any stretch of the imagination, but it does affect certain nerves in your body. It’s like you have a good day, a good day, and then a really bad day.”
Osbourne added, “I feel better now that I’ve owned up to the fact that I have a case of Parkinson’s. And I just hope [my fans] hang on and they’re there for me because I need them.” Osbourne was able to complete a proper farewell concert in the weeks before his death and his fans have been paying tribute to him ever since.
