Howard Stern returned to his SiriusXM show on Wednesday (August 6th) after a long summer break to discuss Ozzy Osbourne‘s passing with Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, among other topics.
Osbourne died on July 22nd, just 17 days after performing a solo and Black Sabbath sets at the “Back to the Beginning” concert, where Metallica played right before him. Stern bluntly asked Ulrich, “Did you have a sense he was going to be dead in a few days?”
“No, no… we hung, we said hello, we hugged,” responded Ulrich (as transcribed by Billboard). The drummer went on to talk about taking photos with photographer Ross Halfin in the days before the concert. “He was there and the Sabbath guys were there and we all positioned ourselves around [Ozzy] and Ross was directing traffic and he asked me to sit on the armrest of Ozzy’s throne next to Ozzy.”
Related Video
He added, “It was such a great moment, because you walk in and it’s, ‘Oh my God, there’s Steven Tyler! Oh my God, there’s Chad Smith! Oh my God, there’s Sammy Hagar! Oh my God, there’s Yungblud!’”
Ulrich noted that Ozzy seemed very sharp mentally despite his physical ailments. “He was very eloquent and very sharp … We were just sitting doing small talk, but it was so warm and he was very present, coherent. It was just his body that was not in good shape, but his mind… he was eloquent and talking and in the moment.”
“We were all just so stunned,” said Ulrich about hearing the news of Ozzy’s passing. “So sad. But at the same time he got to live, to accomplish that concert and that appearance that had been in him since before COVID. He got up there, he played… and I think probably if you’re going go play [a] little quarterback/psychiatrist, Monday morning, maybe it was just a load off his shoulders and he got to accomplish what he wanted and maybe he just sort of let go.”
Stern, meanwhile, played Ozzy’s classic “Mama, I’m Coming Home” during the program, and commented, “Ozzy’s gone and I’m profoundly sad.” He also said he considered Ozzy one of his most “fabulous guests” of all time on his show.
Elsewhere in the interview, Ulrich addressed rumors that Metallica will play the Sphere in Las Vegas in 2026, while also saying the band would love to perform at the Super Bowl Halfttime Show this coming season, especially with the big game taking place in their home base of San Francisco. He also announced that Metallica will launch their own year-round Maximum Metallica SiriusXM show.
