In his tragically short yet impactful life, Randy Rhoads managed to build a legacy that continues to impact electric guitar players around the world to this very day. His spirit was palpable at Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath's final show, Back to the Beginning, while the Prince of Darkness remained grateful for what Rhoads and his playing did for his solo career.
Yet, it's not a well-known fact that, toward the end of his life, Rhoads was more than ready to leave the rock star life behind and embark on a new – and more low-key – chapter.
“It’s known that he had told Ozzy just a few short days before he passed that he was done with touring and wanted to come back home,” his sister, Kathy Rhoads, tells Guitar World in a new extensive interview.
“And my mom went to UCLA, my dad, too, so my mom was at the beginning of the process to get him into the school and get his master’s degree in classical music. She was starting the process and contacting the school. And he was really looking forward to that.”
As for Ozzy, well, it’s safe to say he was far from overjoyed at losing his star guitarist.
“Ozzy said to him, ‘Are you crazy? You’re a rock star.’ Randy said, ‘That’s just not what I want right now. This is what I want to do.’”
She continues, “And Ozzy said, and I’ll quote him, ‘Okay, you could buy your own fucking college by the time you’re done if you keep doing this!’ But for Randy, the biggest key [thing] was that he was a true musician. It was always about the music for him.”
Alas, Rhoads would never manage to go to UCLA and fulfill his classical music ambitions. After playing his last show on March 18, 1982, he died in a freak plane crash at just 25 years of age.
In recent Randy Rhoads news, his Quiet Riot Les Paul – which features on the back cover of their debut record – expected to sell for up to $200,000 at auction.
Guitar World’s full interview with Kathy Rhoads will be published in the coming weeks.
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