As tributes continue to pour in for the late Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76, Mr. Lordi, the monstrous frontman of Finnish hard rock band Lordi, has shared a heartwarming and uniquely funny story that captures the charming and mischievous side of the “Prince of Darkness.”
In a statement remembering the “undisputed legend,” Mr. Lordi recounted a surreal personal encounter from the 2007 Ozzfest tour, where Osbourne unexpectedly took refuge from his personal trainer in Lordi‘s dressing room.
The story began with Ozzy wandering into their room while Mr. Lordi was in the middle of applying his extensive monster makeup. “It’s not my room, is it?” Ozzy asked. After Mr. Lordi confirmed it wasn’t, Ozzy then asked, “Can I stay here?” to which the Finnish rocker replied, “Absolutely, it is my honor and pleasure.”
What followed was a moment that has stuck with Mr. Lordi for years. “What a strange and dreamlike experience that was for me, having Ozzy looking at me putting on the face through the mirror, just chatting casually from the sofa behind me,” he recalled.
The mystery of the unexpected visit was solved shortly after. “Soon, a gigantic bodyguard, or personal trainer, or an assistant or whatever, opened the door and said: ‘Mr. Osbourne, you’re in the wrong room, please come with me’,” Mr. Lordi wrote. “Moments later when I walked out to have a smoke, I saw him on his exercise bike next door, nodding a sweaty hello. Seemed that he just wanted to escape the workout, hahaha!”
The Lordi frontman also remembered Ozzy‘s good-humored advice to the heavily costumed band as they prepared to take the stage in the summer heat: “don’t melt, guys, don’t melt!”
Mr. Lordi concluded his tribute with a fond farewell, perfectly capturing the spirit of his story. “So, farewell to the prince of darkness, and don’t melt!”
The full statement reads: “An undisputed legend of heavy metal has left this realm, it’s sad and surprising. Remembering the summer of 2007, when we were honored to join Ozzfest and every night on that tour we got the chance to witness his set. Funny memories, he sneaked in to our dressing room while I was putting on the makeup. “It’s not my room, is it?” “Nope…” I replied. “Can I stay here?” he asked. “Absolutely, it is my honor and pleasure” I said. What a strange and dreamlike experience that was for me, having Ozzy looking at me putting on the face through the mirror, just chatting casually from the sofa behind me. Soon, a gigantic bodyguard, or personal trainer, or an assistant or whatever, opened the door and said: “Mr. Osbourne, you’re in the wrong room, please come with me”. And then he left a bit unwillingly. Moments later when I walked out to have a smoke, I saw him on his exercise bike next door, nodding a sweaty hello. Seemed that he just wanted to escape the workout, hahaha! It was hot as hell everyday and he told us when we were ready to hit the stage: “don’t melt, guys, don’t melt!” So, farewell to the prince of darkness, and don’t melt!”
