Black Sabbath bandmates Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler are airing their dirty laundry in public.
Ozzy ripped into Geezer in an interview in Rolling Stone UK for not reaching out to him following his physical ailments that have left him unable to tour.
Ozzy says, “Tony Iommi has been so supportive of me since my illness. Geezer Butler hasn’t given me one phone call. Not one…
“When his son was born, I phoned him every night even though we were at war with each other, Black Sabbath and me [after I was kicked out of the band]. I thought, ‘[Screw] it, he’s my mate. I’m gonna call him.’ But from him, not one call.
“It’s sad, man. We all grew up together, and he can’t pick up the phone like a man and see how I’m doing. Even [Sabbath drummer] Bill Ward has been in touch with me. I said some things about Bill, and I don’t know why I said it, but when I came through my illness, he contacted me…”
But Geezer disputes Ozzy’s claim, saying, “Rumor has it; Ozzy is upset, saying he never received my get well messages. I made two different attempts at getting in touch during his illnesses. My first email (February 8th, 2019) went through his office because I didn’t have Ozzy’s new number to text him. Sharon responded but I didn’t hear back from Ozzy. 11 months later (January 21st, 2020), I emailed Sharon to check on Oz. That email went unanswered. I don’t want to engage in a tit for tat. Having made two attempts to wish Ozzy well, without a reply, I figured it best to privately keep him in my thoughts.”
Ozzy and Geezer’s relationship has been strained due to Sharon having a falling out with Geezer’s wife, Gloria, to which Ozzy says, “That’s got nothing to do with me. Are you really going to hide behind your wife’s skirt because of that?”
Ozzy and Geezer were bandmates in The Rare Breed in the late ’60s before teaming up with Iommi and Ward to form Sabbath in 1968.
REUTERS PHOTO
