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Guitarist Randy Rhoads<\/a> played his final show with Ozzy Osbourne<\/a> on March 18, 1982,\u00a0at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. Twenty-four hours later, he\u00a0was dead<\/a> at the age of 25.<\/p>\n Rhoads died in a plane crash in Leesburg, Florida, following a joy ride in a Beechcraft Bonanza piloted by Osbourne’s bus driver, Andrew Aycock, who had an expired pilot’s license. His death is one of the most well-documented tragedies in\u00a0music history, as it cut short one of rock’s most enduring singer-guitarist partnerships.\u00a0Rhoads\u00a0helped revive Osbourne’s floundering career following his dismissal<\/a> from Black Sabbath<\/a>, and their collaboration produced two classic albums,\u00a0Blizzard of Ozz<\/a><\/em> and\u00a0Diary of a Madman<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n Fans will forever wonder what else Osbourne and Rhoads could have achieved together had the guitarist’s life not been cut short. But on the night of Rhoads’ final show, he’d already expressed his desire to pursue other musical endeavors outside of heavy metal.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Ozzy Osbourne’s Guitar Players: A Complete History<\/a><\/p>\n “We were in the tour bus, on our way from Tennessee to Florida, when Randy broke the news,” Osbourne reflected in his 2010 autobiography,\u00a0I Am Ozzy<\/em>. “‘I don’t think I want to be a rock ‘n’ roller anymore,’ he said.”<\/p>\n Rhoads\u00a0told Osbourne he wanted to go to university and get a degree, to which\u00a0Osbourne replied, “Keep this up for a couple of years, and you can buy your own f—ing university.”<\/p>\n Osbourne’s own feelings of discontent were\u00a0surely exacerbated by his heavy drinking, which Rhoads pointed out during that fateful night drive.<\/p>\n “Ozzy, why do you drink so much? What’s the point?” he asked, followed by a chilling warning: “You’ll kill yourself, y’know? One of these days.”<\/p>\n There was little time for Osbourne to grieve following Rhoads’ shocking death. The Prince of Darkness was back on the road less than two weeks later with former Gillan guitarist Bernie Torme<\/a> filling in. (Torme was quickly replaced by Night Ranger<\/a>‘s Brad Gillis and then, more long-term, by Jake E. Lee<\/a>.) His next album, 1983’s\u00a0Bark at the Moon<\/a><\/em>, was a\u00a0triple-platinum\u00a0hit, and Osbourne kept flying high.<\/p>\n But he never\u00a0quite filled the void in his heart left by Rhoads.<\/p>\n “It’s like Randy was with me for a lot longer than he actually really was. Sometimes I think he’s still with me now,” Osbourne wrote in the liner notes to the 1987 live album\u00a0Tribute<\/a><\/em>, which comprised\u00a0performances\u00a0from the Rhoads era. “Guitar players have a thing where their guitars are an extension of their penis. With Randy, he was an extension of his guitar. There’s a big difference.”<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Top 10 Randy Rhoads Guitar Solos<\/a><\/p>\n 1. “Over the Mountain” See how we’ve ranked every Ozzy Osbourne solo album below:<\/em><\/p>\n Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRandy Rhoads Wanted to Go Back to School and Leave Heavy Metal<\/h3>\n
Ozzy Osbourne\u00a0Had Little Time to Mourn\u00a0Randy Rhoads’ Death<\/h3>\n
Listen to Randy Rhoads’ Guitar Solo From His Final Show<\/h3>\n
Ozzy Osbourne – March 18, 1982, Knoxville Set List (via setlist.fm)<\/h3>\n
2. “Mr. Crowley”
3. “Crazy Train”
4. “Revelation (Mother Earth)”
5. “Steal Away (The Night)”
6. “Suicide Solution”
7. Guitar solo
8. Drum solo
9. “Goodbye to Romance”
10. “I Don’t Know”
11. “No Bone Movies”
12. “Believer”
13. “Flying High Again”
14. “Iron Man”
15. “Children of the Grave”
Encore<\/em>
16. “Paranoid”<\/p>\nOzzy Osbourne Albums Ranked <\/h2>\n