As we remember Ozzy, it helps to remember the people in his life who made him happy, and offered their talent to enrich his.

Ozzy was blessed to be surrounded by a loving family, and a host of talented musicians who also knew they were accompanying one of the best!

Ozzy recalled his first meeting with guitar legend Randy Rhoads (who passed away far too soon in 1982) in September 1979 (from a recent Stereogum interview; expletives deleted):

“I was in an apartment not far off the Santa Monica freeway, and [Slaughter bassist Dana Strum] brought Randy 'round when I was three sheets to the wind. I'd been drinking all day. And this little guy came in, and I thought he was a girl at first. He was such a tiny guy. 

"I said, ‘I'm done. I've had enough of this. I want to go home now. I thought, it's never gonna work, I'm going home.’ And Dana said, 'Just see this one last guitar player.' I was screwed up. I said, 'I want to go home. Bring him back tomorrow and I'll see him.'

“And I was still screwed up the next day. I went to this studio, and I didn't know where the heck the studio was. Randy shows up with this little amp and a white Les Paul, and he says, 'What do you want me to play?' I said, 'Whatever….I don’t care.'

"So he started playing, and I was like, 'What the heck is this?' Even in my stupor. I put it to him this way: 'I don't know if you're as good as I think you are, but I'll see you tomorrow.' So the next day, when I was sober, he blew my freakin’ mind off. He just blew my mind. He was f-in’ unbelievable."

On working with Randy in the studio, Ozzy had this to say:

"The one thing about Randy Rhoads that I'm forever grateful for is he spent time with me. He didn't sit in the recording booth and give me some melody to do over what he played, regardless of whether I could do it on stage or not. Then, you'd get this stuff that you couldn't do on stage.

“But he would say, 'It would be better if you could sing it in this key,' you know. He was very patient."

Rest in peace, Ozzy…..with Randy.