Thursday marks the second anniversary of Eddie Van Halen’s death — and Ozzy Osbourne is commemorating the occasion by sharing his memories of the rock legend.
Osbourne, who got to know the guitar virtuoso when Van Halen opened for Black Sabbath on their 1978 “Never Say Die” tour, says, “Eddie was such a great guy. They came to our local pub and it was good fun. But David Lee Roth, he’s lost a couple of nuts and bolts. When you meet him, it’s like, ‘What’s wrong with him?’ He’s like somewhere else, you know?”
Osbourne goes on to say not everyone shared his love for Van Halen. The late Randy Rhodes, who played guitar for Osbourne’s Band, “didn’t have a lot to say about Eddie,” Osbourne says. “They were arch-enemies,” he recalls. “They were very, very similar guitar players, [but] Eddie took that tapping thing to another level.”
