Ozzy Osbourne pays tribute to late Motörhead frontman Lemmy
Ozzy Osbourne paid tribute to his late friend and legendary Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards on Monday. The Black Sabbath singer and solo artist, who is currently on his farewell tour, spoke of contacting Lemmy on the day he died in December 2015.
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“I miss having him around,” Ozzy recalled to Metal Hammer. “He was a good guy… I phoned him on the day he died. I knew he was dying. He didn’t even know it was me. I had to say to him, ‘It’s Ozzy, Lem.’ He just gurgled down the phone to me. I said, ‘Lemmy, for fuck sake, stay there, I’m coming.'”
Ozzy detailed the somber scene as he asked his wife, Sharon Osbourne, to bring the car around on that fateful day. Unfortunately, according to Ozzy’s recollection, Lemmy passed away before he could see the Motörhead singer one last time.
“I said to Sharon, ‘Fuck it, get in the car, we’re going around to his apartment.’ … [A]s we were leaving, she came up to me and said, ‘Don’t worry, he’s gone.’ And I went, ‘Oh, God…’ I just sunk. It hit me really hard, I’m not going to pretend it didn’t.”
Motörhead, of whom Lemmy was the sole constant member, formed around London, England, in 1975. They issued 22 studio albums from 1977 until the musician’s death. Their final full-length album, Bad Magic, was released in August 2015.
Ozzy remembers Lemmy’s memorial
Lemmy died on Dec. 28, 2015, four days after his 70th birthday. The memorial service was livestreamed on YouTube, and dozens of fellow rockers offered words of condolences in the days following his death, including Osbourne.
“His memorial was something else,” said Ozzy of the public funeral. “I thought to myself, ‘Jesus, if he was looking down at this shower!’ There was a tray of drinks as you went into the church. I thought, ‘This is Lemmy, alright!'”
What’s your favorite memory of late Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister? Are you planning on seeing Ozzy Osbourne on his current farewell tour? Sound of in the comments.
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