Tommy Aldridge recently shared his perspective on not being invited to Ozzy Osbourne’s final show. He addressed the situation in a detailed statement on Tommy Aldridge.
The veteran drummer explained his absence from the farewell performance while emphasizing his continued respect for Osbourne.
“Well, I don’t wanna cast dispersions. I don’t want to shade anyone. I wasn’t invited to be at Ozzy’s last show. That’s as much as I need to say. I wasn’t invited. And I’m not gonna crash someone else’s party,” Aldridge said. “I will say, but that has no reflection on Ozzy. I have so much admiration and love for Ozzy. Ozzy was someone I spent a lot of time with, and it was by no means any disrespect intended on my part — certainly not — and the powers that be. I pay my highest regards and respects to Ozzy Osbourne on any opportunity I get to do that.”
Aldridge reflected on his motivation for joining Osbourne’s band and the impact of working with guitarist Randy Rhoads.
“What motivated me to start with Ozzy was a gentleman by the name of Randy Rhoads and being able to go on stage with that gentleman every night and be in close proximity to his guitar playing. That was my motivation in working with Ozzy,” he continued. “Unfortunately, that was very short lived, ’cause Randy was tragically taken from us and the plane crash, and the trauma of that and everything, that was a very bittersweet time in my career. The high watermark from a musical perspective was working with Randy, and the low watermark, from a personal perspective, was Randy. So it was a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ time in my career. Working with Randy was indescribably inspirational and devastatingly depressing at the same time with his loss.”
The drummer also shared details about his long history with Osbourne, dating back to their early encounters.
“I was pretty much established before I ever worked with Ozzy, from previous bands. In fact, Ozzy was interested in extending the offer to me from having heard me play when I was in bands that supported Ozzy,” Aldridge explained. “My first tour, actually, abroad, first internationally known band, was a band called Black Oak Arkansas, and the first dates that I did internationally were supporting Black Sabbath. That’s when I met Ozzy. And that was … a long, long time ago. He shared some of his success with me. I would like to think that I, in some small way, participated, especially in the early, early times when he was unceremoniously dispatched from the only band he’d ever played in, Black Sabbath, I can imagine.”
Aldridge concluded by acknowledging his firsthand experience with Osbourne during difficult periods in the singer’s career.
“Well, I know firsthand the trauma that was for him; I was there. I was living in England when all that was coming around. I was working with Gary Moore at the time, who was signed to the same label that Ozzy was ultimately signed to,” he said. “So, yeah, I had some experiences with Ozzy that no one really knows anything about. I knew Ozzy before other people knew Ozzy, so I met Ozzy way before he met his wife, and so forth and so on. So we had a relationship that superseded Randy Rhoads, and I have a lot of respect and appreciation for what Ozzy has done, not just in my career, but what he’s done musically.”
Aldridge’s comments come amid ongoing discussions about Osbourne’s farewell performances and the musicians who shaped his legendary career. The drummer’s relationship with Osbourne spans decades. It includes both triumphant collaborations and challenging periods that tested their professional bond.
Following Randy Rhoads’ tragic death in 1982, Aldridge continued working with Osbourne on several projects. Outsider Rock reported that Aldridge remained with Ozzy’s touring band and contributed to the Bark at the Moon album alongside Don Airey. This marked Osbourne’s first collaboration with guitarist Jake E. Lee.
The working relationship wasn’t without its complications. Wikipedia noted that Aldridge, along with Randy Rhoads and Rudy Sarzo, initially refused to participate in Osbourne’s 1982 Black Sabbath covers album Speak of the Devil. This created tension within the band. The album eventually became Osbourne’s first to feature both Sarzo and Aldridge as the rhythm section.
The drummer’s tenure with Osbourne eventually ended when he was replaced by Carmine Appice. Their personal relationship endured beyond their professional collaboration. Following Osbourne’s passing in 2025, Brave Words revealed that Aldridge paid tribute to the metal icon. He honored him as a “friend and brother” and called him a “force in music.”
Aldridge’s exclusion from the final show reflects broader discussions about recognition for musicians who contributed to Osbourne’s career. Other longtime collaborators, including bassist Bob Daisley, have also expressed disappointment about not being acknowledged during Osbourne’s farewell performances. This highlights the complex relationships between the metal legend and his former bandmates.
