The late Ozzy Osbourne spoke on many occasions about his love for Randy Rhoads after the guitarist’s death in 1982. He released the 1987 double live album Tribute in Rhoads’ memory and once said, “I owe my career to him,” referring to Rhoads’ work on Osbourne’s first two solo albums: 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz and 1981’s Diary of a Madman.
Osbourne and his wife Sharon were also present alongside Rhoads’ mother, Delores, when the guitarist was posthumously inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk in 2004.
But in a new interview, Bob Daisley says the idea that Rhoads had a “family bond” with Ozzy and Sharon is a myth.
Daisley should know. The bass guitarist was there alongside Osbourne when the electric-guitar virtuoso was hired for Ozzy’s band. He worked with Rhoads on Blizzard of Ozz and its subsequent tour before being fired — along with drummer Lee Kerslake — in 1981, prior to the tour’s U.S. leg.
It was a nice situation, but there wasn’t any particular bonding of one or two — of anyone.”
— Bob Daisley
“They built it up to make it sound like the Ozzy and Randy show,” he says of the Osbournes in a new interview with Cassius Morris. “But it was not like that, I can tell you right now.
“We all bonded in our own way. Randy and I, musically, got on very well together, and we used to sit on chairs opposite each other, just coming up with ideas and working on music. And we’d all sort of have meals together — we’d go out together, we’d socialize together.
“It was a nice situation, but there wasn’t any particular bonding of one or two — of anyone. It was not a Randy-and-Ozzy thing.”
Daisley also disputes the oft-repeated Blizzard of Ozz–related claim that Osbourne “had half the album written before we even got there.”
“That’s lies. It’s bollocks.”
That’s lies. It’s bollocks.”
— Bob Daisley
Of course, Daisley was long gone from Osbourne’s band at the time of Rhoads’ death in a plane crash, having been replaced by the guitarist’s friend and former Quiet Riot bassist Rudy Sarzo. But Daisley says he later heard from former Ozzy drummer Tommy Aldridge and keyboardist Don Airey that Rhoads had been planning to leave Osbourne at the time of his death.
“Randy was not happy towards the end. I wasn’t there, but I know because Don Airey and Tommy Aldridge told me what was going on. Ozzy and Randy were not close anymore, and Randy wanted out.”
Daisley adds that Rhoads had even agreed to record a live album of Black Sabbath songs with Osbourne as a way to end his contract with the singer.
“He wanted to pursue his master’s degree and go to Europe to study,” he says. “The only reason he was gonna do the Black Sabbath stuff — he didn’t like Sabbath; he was not a fan — but he agreed to do it to get out of his contract so he could go free.”
He didn’t like Sabbath; he was not a fan — but he agreed to do it to get out of his contract so he could go free.”
— Bob Daisley
The album was eventually made with guitarist Brad Gillis and released in 1982 as Speak of the Devil.
Asked whether Osbourne — who died in July 2025 — recast his relationship with Rhoads after the guitarist’s death, Daisley concurs.
“Oh, sure, sure. There are things right now I can’t talk about because of legal reasons, but in answer to your question, yes.”
It’s unclear what legal action could be preventing Daisley from discussing the matter. Daisley and Kerslake unsuccessfully sued the Osbournes in the 1990s over unpaid royalties, songwriting credits and performance fees related to their foundational work on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman.
The bassist also filed a lawsuit in 2016 against Osbourne and Blizzard Music Limited seeking $2 million in unpaid royalties. Daisley alleged that Osbourne and his company were using a sham entity to siphon fees from his publishing payouts. The case was dismissed in 2022 on the grounds that the disputes stemmed from original songwriter agreements that required arbitration.
