The Prince of Darkness, Ozzy Osbourne, will get an all-star tribute at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland on Oct. 19. The recognition marks Osbourne’s second induction into the institution, following Black Sabbath’s entry in 2006. The ceremony will stream live on Disney+, and a televised special will air on ABC and be available on Hulu at a later date.
With just a few weeks to go, Osbourne tells Rolling Stone he’s still wrapping his head around the induction. “I don’t know what to think,” he says via email. “I’m still in shock that I’m getting inducted for a second time. But at the same time, I’m very excited.”
Actor and avowed metalhead Jack Black, who performed Osbourne’s “Mr. Crowley” with a group of teens for a School of Rock-style performance last year, will have the honor of making the speech inducting Osbourne. “Jack invited my family to the School of Rock movie premiere in 2002,” Osbourne says. “I’ve always been a big fan of his. Jack is one of the few great actors that is also a genuine rock & roller and not acting the part.”
The festivities will include a musical tribute honoring Osbourne’s solo career. Although he didn’t comment on whether or not he’d be singing, he’s looking forward to the performances. Billy Idol, Tool‘s Maynard James Keenan, and country artist Jelly Roll — who recently told Rolling Stone that “Mama, I’m Coming Home” is his favorite Osbourne song — will all sing Osbourne’s songs at the event.
“Billy Idol is a rock icon,” Osbourne says. “His music is timeless. Billy Idol should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.”
Regarding Tool’s frontman, Osbourne says, “Maynard has been a true family friend since 1997.” He adds, “He is such a creative force. There are few artists who can keep three successful bands going for multiple decades,” referring to Keenan’s Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer.
And as for the most surprising singer, at least to metalheads, Osbourne says he’s excited to hear Jelly Roll sing his songs. “Who doesn’t love Jelly Roll?” he says. “His voice is soulful, pure, and dirty. I’m so honored that someone would do this for me who I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting.”
The Rock Hall has assembled a group of guitarists artists who will have to live up to Osbourne’s high standards for the instrument. Osbourne is famous for working with brilliant, innovative guitarists like late Randy Rhoads, who was posthumously inducted into the Rock Hall in 2021. The singer says the qualities that impress him in a guitarist are “individuality, having your own sound, and [how] the guitar is your voice.”
So it makes perfect sense that Zakk Wylde, Osbourne’s most reliable right-hand man since 1987, who performed on and co-wrote many hit singles with Osbourne including the Grammy-winning “I Don’t Want to Change the World,” would be among the guitarists in the tribute. Record producer Andrew Watt — who helmed Osbourne’s last two solo albums, playing guitar and co-writing the songs on them — will also play guitar and serve as the performance’s musical director. Billy Idol’s longtime guitarist, Steve Stevens, is also set to perform, as is Wolfgang Van Halen.
The tribute’s rhythm section consists of Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo, who was a member of Osbourne’s band from 1996 through 2003, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. “The rhythm section is the anchor of the band,” Osbourne says, “and you honestly couldn’t get a better rhythm section than Robert Trujillo and Chad Smith.”
Smith played drums on Osbourne’s most recent solo albums, 2020’s Ordinary Man and 2022’s Patient Number 9. Adam Wakeman, who has worked with Osbourne since 2004 and played keyboards and additional guitar on Black Sabbath’s reunion tours in recent years, will play the keys.
Osbourne has been eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist since 2006. But even though he mounted one of the most monumental comebacks as a solo artist in rock history thanks to songs like “Crazy Train,” “Bark at the Moon,” and “No More Tears” after Black Sabbath fired him, official recognition has eluded him until now. The Rock Hall nominated him for the first time this year and was voted in immediately. The other inductees include Cher, Peter Frampton, and Mary J. Blige, among others.
In April, Osbourne told Rolling Stone he was overwhelmed by the excitement his friends and fans have expressed about his induction. He felt ambivalent about the honor then, but he said that seeing the way his fans supported him in the fan vote reenergized him, especially as he has been recovering from many health setbacks. Regarding how he’s feeling right now, Osbourne says plainly, “It is what it is.” But he has an excellent list of everything that keeps his spirits up: “Music, my family, my fans, and my animals.”
And when he considers all of the musicians who are taking part in the tribute, he says, “It’s a very humbling feeling.”
