In a recent interview with NJ.com, legendary guitarist Zakk Wylde revealed that Ozzy Osbourne had expressed interest in creating another album together before his passing — one that would recapture the spirit of their early 1990s collaborations.
According to Wylde, Ozzy had been reaching out to him with new ideas and a vision for a sound reminiscent of the No More Tears era.
“He was texting me, ‘Zakk, let’s do another record. Because I really loved it when you were going through your ALLMAN BROTHERS, [LYNYRD] SKYNYRD phase when we did ‘No More Tears’. It’s heavy but it’s more melodic. It’s not pummeling heavy.'” Wylde said. “So I said, ‘All right, Oz. Whatever you want.'”
Wylde, who served as Ozzy’s right-hand man for nearly four decades, played a key role in shaping Osbourne’s signature sound across numerous albums and tours. However, he was notably absent from the 2020 release Ordinary Man, which marked Ozzy’s first collaboration with producer Andrew Watt. That album instead featured Watt on guitar alongside Duff McKagan (GUNS N’ ROSES) and Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS).
Wylde returned for much of Ozzy’s 2022 album Patient Number 9, again produced by Watt, which featured an all-star lineup including Tony Iommi, Jeff Beck, and Eric Clapton.
Back in 2020, Ozzy explained his decision to record Ordinary Man without Wylde, telling Kerrang! that the sessions with Watt, McKagan, and Smith evolved so naturally that they didn’t initially realize they were making a full album.
“We didn’t know we were making an album,” Ozzy said at the time.
Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22, just weeks after the historic farewell concert in his hometown.
Osbourne died from a heart attack at his Buckinghamshire estate, with coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease listed as contributing factors, according to a death certificate filed in London by his daughter Aimée. A helicopter air ambulance was reportedly dispatched to his home around 10:30 a.m. that day.
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