EXTREME‘s Nuno Bettencourt spoke to Web page Six about what it meant for him to honor Ozzy Osbourne with a medley of Osbourne‘s best hits on Sunday (September 7) on the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards alongside AEROSMITH‘s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, and Yungblud. He mentioned (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “Pay attention, which means the whole lot, particularly my 15-year-old self as a guitar participant developing and listening to rock and steel. He was a godfather to us. He began it within the early ’70s, and that is how rock turned heavier and heavier. And for him, what he did with BLACK SABBATH, after which be out of there and have a complete different profession as Ozzy Osbourne, the solo artist, after which be a actuality star after that, this man’s affected tradition in a means and touched all people in so many various methods. So it means the whole lot. Particularly having been a part of [Ozzy‘s final concert] in Birmingham [in early July], and going up and performing and truly speaking to him and saying goodbye. We did not know [he was going to die so soon after that] — I imply, we knew it, however we did not comprehend it. And in order that was actually particular.”
Concerning what it was like to participate within the “Again To The Starting” live performance, Nuno mentioned: “Once I was 15 and his guitar participant [Randy Rhoads] handed in a foul airplane accident in 1982 or ’81, I believed after I was 14 that I used to be gonna exchange him. And there was an advert to ship a cassette in. So I did — I put a cassette collectively at 15, despatched it in. ‘That is my gig. I am gonna get it.’ In fact, I did not. No person ever known as. Reduce to 12 years later, I am opening for AEROSMITH with EXTREME in London, and my reserving is coming in. [He said], ‘Sharon [Ozzy‘s wife and manager] simply known as. Ozzy desires you. He desires you to be within the band.’ This was 1995, ’96. And I mentioned no. I used to be in a band that we had been simply up and coming with EXTREME and we had hits out. However the final phrases we mentioned to one another after we took the massive group photograph [at ‘Back To The Beginning’] and I used to be at his ft, I grabbed his hand saying, ‘Thanks for the whole lot and thanks, Ozzy, for what you imply to me.’ And he pulls me in by the hand and he goes, ‘You had been the one guitar participant who mentioned no to me.’ However he laughed. He goes, ‘I really like you.’ And he laughs. He goes, ‘Thanks for being right here’ to honor him. And I used to be, like, ‘Thanks.’ I mentioned, ‘Thanks for the whole lot.'”
Nuno additionally talked concerning the vibe between all of the musicians who had been concerned in “Again To The Starting”, saying: “You already know what actually, actually, actually blew my thoughts, is that if you get GUNS N’ ROSES and METALLICA — they’re the largest bands on this planet — to return collectively to do one thing… I have been a part of these issues earlier than, tributes, and it is all the time like all people’s egos, they’re rock stars. Abruptly, each member of each band is in the identical room. It was like heavy steel summer time camp. We had been all a bunch of youngsters once more, ‘trigger Ozzy was like our dad or our godfather, like, ‘You guys behave.’ However all people put egos on the door. It was a hug fest. There was a lot love, and you may really feel it on that stage. No person was complaining and all people was simply serving to one another out and supporting one another. I have been doing this for 40 years. I’ve by no means seen that on a tour anyplace else the place all people was similar to a giant neighborhood and large rock household. And that is what Ozzy does to all people for us.”
Ozzy‘s son Jack launched Sunday’s tribute on the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, alongside together with his 4 daughters, through a pretaped video, saying, “I want we may very well be there with you all tonight as you rejoice my dad’s wonderful musical journey. I do know for positive it might make him extremely blissful to see these nice musicians keep on his legacy and assist encourage the following era of rockers.” He additionally gave a “particular shout-out” to the artists who took half within the tribute. To conclude the video, Ozzy‘s granddaughters signed off by shouting in unison, “Within the phrases of our Papa, let’s go loopy!”
Yungblud kicked off the tribute with Osbourne‘s “Loopy Prepare” earlier than slowing issues down with a canopy of BLACK SABBATH‘s “Adjustments”. Tyler then took the stage to sing Osbourne’s hit ballad “Mama, I am Coming Residence”, accompanied by Perry on guitar. Yungblud returned to the mic to duet with Tyler on the tune, which ended with pyrotechnics and Yungblud shouting into the microphone, “Ozzy ceaselessly!”
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by LL Cool J, aired reside coast to coast from New York’s UBS Area on the CBS Tv Community, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ within the U.S.
Ozzy‘s long-standing and storied MTV historical past spans “Headbangers Ball” within the Eighties, “Battle For Ozzfest” and groundbreaking actuality TV collection “The Osbournes”, to call just a few. He was honored with the celebrated MTV EMAs International Icon Award in 2014. Later this 12 months, Paramount+ will debut the feature-length documentary “Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now”.
With greater than 120 million albums bought worldwide, the worldwide rock icon, multiplatinum singer-songwriter and popular culture phenom was a five-time Grammy winner, two-time Rock And Roll Corridor Of Fame inductee, each with BLACK SABBATH in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024, with stars on the Hollywood Stroll Of Fame and Birmingham Stroll Of Stars, amongst a mess of different prime accolades.
Ozzy died on July 22 of a coronary heart assault, his demise certificates revealed. The certificates filed in London additionally mentioned Osbourne suffered from coronary artery illness and Parkinson’s illness.
A non-public funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the home the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his spouse and supervisor Sharon purchased in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Solely 110 of the singer’s family and friends members attended the service, together with his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).
Ozzy‘s remaining live performance on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom noticed him and his fellow authentic SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Invoice Ward carry out 4 songs for greater than 40,000 folks within the stadium and 5.8 million extra on a livestream. The pageant served as a tribute to the legendary heavy steel act, together with further performances from such different teams as METALLICA, GUNS N’ ROSES, SLAYER, TOOL, PANTERA and ALICE IN CHAINS. Ozzy additionally performed a five-song solo set whereas seated in a bat-adorned throne.
Osbourne leaves behind his spouse, Sharon, and their kids, Aimée, Kelly and Jack, as nicely his two older kids, Jessica and Louis, from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, and grandchildren.
