“He Still Had That Spark”: Rudy Sarzo Speaks from the Heart on Ozzy Osbourne’s C…read more.
When Rudy Sarzo saw Ozzy Osbourne for the last time, he wasn’t expecting it to be goodbye.
“He looked good,” Sarzo says quietly, as if still trying to convince himself. “He didn’t look like a man who had only two weeks left. He had that spark… that same Ozzy energy. The laugh. The warmth. You would’ve never guessed.”
The news of Ozzy Osbourne’s death last month hit hard across the globe. But for those who knew him personally who had stood beside him onstage, shared long bus rides, quiet moments, and backstage prayers the loss left a deeper wound. For Sarzo, who played bass in Ozzy’s band during the early ‘80s, the grief has been layered with disbelief.
“The moment I heard, I just froze. It felt exactly like when we lost Randy \[Rhoads],” Sarzo says, voice cracking. “That same deep void… that shock where everything in you just stops working for a moment.”
Back then, in 1982, Sarzo lost his close friend and bandmate Randy Rhoads in a tragic plane crash. The trauma was life-changing. More than four decades later, losing Ozzy stirred all that pain again but also brought back a flood of gratitude for the moments they shared.
“You always think you’ll have more time,” he says. “We were talking about seeing each other again soon. Just like always. No big goodbyes. No warning.”
What people often forget about Ozzy, Sarzo says, is just how kind he truly was. The wild stories bats, doves, rehab stints, reality TV they only told part of the truth.
“He was one of the kindest souls I’ve ever known. He had this way of making everyone feel like they mattered. Whether you were a roadie, a fan in the parking lot, or someone who just wandered into the dressing room Ozzy gave you his full attention.”
Sarzo recalls countless late-night phone calls just to check in. “He’d call out of nowhere and say, ‘Hey Rudy, just thinking about you, mate.’ And then we’d talk for hours. He didn’t care about fame. He cared about people.”
Even in his final days, that kindness never faded. Though his health had been declining for years, those closest to Ozzy described his last few weeks as unexpectedly peaceful almost magical. He was surrounded by family, friends, and laughter.
“It was like time gave him a break, just enough for us to see him one more time as we always knew him,” Sarzo reflects. “He was cracking jokes, telling old stories. Still Ozzy. Still full of life.”
There was no dramatic farewell, no curtain call. “We hugged. We laughed. I told him I loved him. He said he loved me too. And that was it,” Sarzo says. “I had no idea that would be our last moment.”
For all the chaos Ozzy brought to the world of rock and roll, his closest friends remember him for something much quieter: his heart.
“There was a deep, spiritual side to Ozzy. He talked a lot about energy, about the soul, about how everything’s connected. I think that’s why people around the world felt so drawn to him because even in the darkness, he was searching for light.”
Since Ozzy’s passing, tributes have poured in from every corner of the music world. Tony Iommi, Zakk Wylde, and Sharon Osbourne have all shared emotional statements, and fans have held vigils in Birmingham, Los Angeles, and Tokyo. But for Sarzo, the tribute is more personal.
“I’ve lost a brother,” he says simply. “But I gained a lifetime of memories. And I’ll carry those forever.”
When asked how he hopes people will remember Ozzy, Sarzo doesn’t hesitate: “As someone who gave the world everything he had. Every note, every scream, every smile. He held nothing back. That’s what made him immortal.”
Ozzy Osbourne is survived by his wife Sharon, their children Aimee, Kelly, and Jack and by a world forever changed by his voice, his courage, and his immeasurable kindness.
