Zakk Wylde’s Last Text From Ozzy: ‘Thanks For Everything’

Zakk Wylde has revealed the final message he received from Ozzy Osbourne before the Black Sabbath icon died on July 22.

The guitarist also reflected on his long history with Osbourne, and explained how he’d been looking out for the vocalist as they performed together for the last time at Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning show.

“With ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home,’ when we got the acoustic out, I had to be like, ‘Keep the guitar away from the microphone so I can sing,’” Wylde told Guitar World in a new interview.

READ MORE: Artists Honor Ozzy Osbourne with Concert Dedications and Live Covers

“Oz’s voice was having trouble at certain notes. I was like, ‘I need to make sure I’m always there so I can double him.’ I was like three feet away from the microphone when I started playing the song. I was like, ‘I gotta get near the microphone,’ so I had to almost stop playing, lift the guitar up and put it over the mic.”

He added light-heartedly: “It was like juggling balls or chainsaws while being on a skateboard. It was actually pretty funny… It’s supposed to be the most important show ever, but everything’s on the fly!”

Wylde reported that he last saw Osbourne at the end of Sabbath’s set, although he’d hoped to catch up backstage. “Everybody and their mother were in the backstage dressing room, and I just wanted to give him a break.

Zakk Wylde Says Ozzy Osbourne Gave Him Purpose

“I figured we’d see him later on – the next day or whatever. But no. The last text I got from Oz was saying, ‘Zakky, sorry, it was like a madhouse back there. I didn’t see you.’ He goes, ‘Thanks for everything.’ It was just us talking, saying, ‘I love you, buddy.’ That was it.”

The guitarist, who first signed up with Osbourne in 1987, said he’s eternally grateful for their time together. “[H]e gave me purpose to be a musician. And without a doubt, that’ll always be with me.”

He noted of the singer: “[T]o go out with what’s the biggest-grossing charity event of all? That’s unbelievable. He helped a whole lot of people instead of making a profit. My God, what an incredible master. What an incredible life.”