Jake E. Lee has shared the final text message he got from the late Ozzy Osbourne, which he received shortly after the Back to the Beginning show.
Earlier this week, it was announced that Ozzy had died at the age of 76 mere weeks after he took to the stage and reunited with his Black Sabbath bandmates for a highly anticipated farewell concert.
Lee had replaced the late Randy Rhoads in Ozzy's band after Bernie Tormé and Brad Gillis had helped complete the Diary of a Madman tour. A key part of Ozzy’s rich legacy of guitarists, Lee produced two albums – Bark at the Moon (1983) and The Ultimate Sin (1986).
When he was shot in Las Vegas last year, Ozzy sent his well wishes, and in doing so, revealed they hadn't spoken in the 37 years.
Lee's inclusion on the Back to the Beginning bill – a gig creative director Tom Morello said hinged on Lee’s presence – gave the pair an opportunity to briefly catch up. They may not have spent much time together on the day, but Ozzy showed his kind-heartedness as Lee headed to the airport the next day.
Posting on social media, the electric guitar wizard shared the text he got from Ozzy as he awaited his flight back to the US.
“Hi Jake, I’m so sorry I couldn’t spend more time with you on the weekend but it was really chaotic,” the text reads. “I would really like to see you when I eventually get back to L.A. to shoot the shit, it’s been so long since we saw each other.
“Where are you living these days?” Ozzy then asked. “The last thing I heard was you were living in Las Vegas. How did the gig go for you on Saturday? I really hope you had fun. I will text you when I eventually get back to L.A. and we must hook up much love and respect Ozzy.”
The world had expected Lee to play his biggest Ozzy hit, Bark at the Moon, in Birmingham, but he was forced to tackle his Plan B songs, performing The Ultimate Sin and Shot in the Dark instead.
Tributes to the heavy metal icon have come pouring in, while Tony Iommi has discussed how Back to the Beginning helped ice Ozzy’s colorful life in the best way possible.
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