Zakk Wylde has revealed that just before Ozzy Osbourne’s passing, the legendary frontman was actively planning another studio album with him, specifically requesting a return to the “melodic” Southern-rock-infused sound of their 1991 classic, No More Tears.
In a new interview with NJ.com, the 58-year-old guitarist shared that Ozzy had been in contact with him via text, outlining his vision for the new material.
“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 revealed.
Wylde, who first joined Ozzy‘s band in 1987, was immediately on board. “So I said, ‘Alright Oz, whatever you want.’”
The new album would have marked a significant return to their classic partnership. Wylde was famously absent from Osbourne‘s 2020 album, Ordinary Man, which was produced by Andrew Watt. While Wylde returned to play on several tracks for 2022’s Patient Number 9, that album also featured an all-star cast of guitarists, including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and Tony Iommi. This unmade album, as Ozzy envisioned it, would have been a focused reunion of their signature chemistry.
This revelation provides a new, poignant context to Osbourne‘s final triumphant performance at the “Back to the Beginning” concert on July 5 in Birmingham. Wylde, who was by his side for that show, told NJ.com that he never viewed it as a final goodbye.
“I wasn’t thinking, ‘Oh, this is the last time I’m going to see Oz.’ I just figured we’ll do the gig, and then who knows? You always stay positive on all this stuff,” Wylde said.
“I wasn’t thinking when we were doing the show that this was the last time I’m going to be doing ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ with the boss or this is the last time I’m going to play ‘Crazy Train’ with him or anything like that,” he continued. “I was just going, ‘Let’s do this and let’s have a good time,’ like always.”
Osbourne passed away just weeks later on July 22 from a heart attack, with coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease listed as contributing factors.
For Wylde, Ozzy’s final push—which included the concert, a documentary, and a book—was a testament to his incredible will.
“Just the fact that he willed himself to do that thing,” Wylde said of the farewell show. “We did the show, he ended up finishing his book, they did the documentary, and then he was like, ‘All right, I’m out of here.’ He finished everything he had to do and then he was like, ‘All right, I’m done.’”
