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The guitarist Jake E. Lee, known for his time in Ozzy Osbourne’s solo band of the 1980s, has published a moving last message from the late metal icon Ozzy Osbourne. This message was created after a historical reunion. Almost four decades after their last cooperation.
A musical reunification after 37 years
Jake E. Lee, who contributed significantly to the sound world of Osbourne’s “Bark at the Moon” and “The Ultimate Sin” between 1982 and 1987, occurred on numerous tours with the “Prince of Darkness”. After he left in 1987, contact broke off. Until the paths of the two musicians surprisingly crossed again in 2025. The occasion: the event “Back to the Beginning”, which was announced as an Ozzy Osbournes farewell show with Black Sabbath in Birmingham.
The invitation to the last act
Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), who acted as the musical director of the event, was invited to Lee. Although 37 years had passed since the last meeting between Lee and Osbourne, the guitarist immediately agreed. The stage in Birmingham became the scene of a historical reunification.
It was an emotional moment for Lee. All the more intensely, since Ozzy died shortly afterwards on July 22, 2025 in his house in Buckinghamshire. Air rescue workers tried in vain to reanimate it.
The last greeting by text message
Shortly after the event, Jake E. Lee received a last message from Ozzy, which he now shared publicly. In the text, written in a typical ozzy manner without a big punctuation mark, it said:
“Hi Jake in So Sorry I Coildnt Spend More Time With You On The Weekend But what Really Chaotic, I would real like to see you When I Eventual Get Back to la Just To Shoot the Shit. […] Anyway I Will Text You Whe I Eventual Get Back to La And We Must Hook Up Much Love and Respect Ozzy. ”
Lee commented on Facebook: “I am still trying to process everything. The final validity hits me in waves.” The reunion meant a lot to him – and the news is now a lasting legacy.
Write metal history one last time
The “Back to the Beginning” show was an all-star event: In addition to Black Sabbath, Metallica, Guns N ‘Roses, Korn, Tool, Slayer, Pantera, Alice in Chains, Gojira, Anthrax and Steven Tyler from Aerosmith also performed. The event served charitable purposes and will come to cinemas as a concert film with backstage material and interviews in 2026.
At the same time, Ozzy Osbourne’s last autobiography “Last Rites” is to be released posthumously – one last look at the moving life of the man who shaped the heavy metal like no other.