Ozzy Osbourne has shared a tribute to the late Randy Rhoads on the 43rd anniversary of the guitarist’s death.
In a Facebook post, the Prince of Darkness calls Rhoads “quite possibly the best composer & musician that I have ever met in my life.”
“He came into my life like a bolt of lightning and as such he was gone again,” Ozzy writes. “I consider my self one of the luckiest men alive to have not only met him but also I had the great honor of being able to work with him. I will cherish the time I spent with him till the day I die.”
He concludes, “LONG LIVE RANDY RHOADS. LONG LIVE ROCK N ROLL. I LOVE YOU ALL.”
Rhoads played on Ozzy’s first two solo albums, 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz and 1981’s Diary of a Madman, contributing to classics including “Crazy Train” and “Mr. Crowley.” He died March 19, 1982, in a plane crash at just 25 years old.
