Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford revealed his reaction upon learning of Ozzy Osbourne . The "Metal God" stated that he lay down in the fetal position and cried profusely for hours.
In an interview with American radio station WRIF , the singer said he was in a hotel room in England when he received the news and that he still can't believe it. Halford noted that he had never seen an outpouring of love of this magnitude.
“I received the call on the day the death happened. I turned off my cell phone in my hotel room. I think I was in Leeds, England. I lay in the fetal position and cried copiously for hours. I couldn't believe it. I still can't. I'm grieving, like many people. We played the next day. So, God, how do you process all this tragedy, all this love, because I've never seen such a great display of love,” she said [transcription via Blabbermouth ].
Rob Halford performed with Priest the day after Ozzy's death
According to Rob Halford , after Ozzy Osbourne's death, a tribute was paid during Judas Priest through the song "Giants in the Sky," from the album Invincible Shield (2024). According to the Briton, the lyrics tell of musicians whom everyone loves and who have gone to live eternally in another place.
“We did the show the next day and played 'Giants in the Sky'. The song is about musicians we love who moved to this beautiful place. We also make references to Lemmy , Ronnie [James Dio] , Paul [Di'Anno] , Chris [Cornell] , and all those big names, Janis Joplin , Freddie Mercury . For that show, we added Ozzy at the end. And I told everyone, 'It's a lot to try to comprehend, but Ozzy would say, 'Let's party. Let's enjoy rock and roll, live intensely and have fun.' That was in his heart, his soul, and his spirit. Whenever we did shows together, he would ask afterwards, 'Did you have fun?' The things he conveyed of himself to his fans, to everyone, the generosity, the affection, all the incredible things he did in music, he was the personification of kindness in that aspect,” he concluded.
READ ALSO: Ozzy Osbourne: BBC explains last-minute cancellation of documentary