ZAKK WYLDE Pays Tribute To RANDY RHOADS On 38th Anniversary Of Original OZZY OSBOURNE Guitarist’s Passing

Zakk Wylde, who has played guitar for Ozzy Osbourne’s band on and off for more than three decades, has posted a short video tribute to Randy Rhoads on 38th anniversary of the original Ozzy axeman’s death. Check out Zakk shred through “Diary Of A Madman” below.

Zakk wrote in an accompanying caption: “CELEBRATING ST.RHOADS’s LIFE TODAY & EVERYDAY!!! His FIRE,CREATIVITY & INSPIRATION is BEYOND FOREVER”

Rhoads and two others were killed on March 19, 1982 when the small plane they were flying in at Flying Baron Estates in Leesburg, Florida struck Ozzy’s tour bus, then crashed into a mansion. Rhoads was 25 years old.

In a 2012 interview with Rock Cellar Magazine, Zakk said that he felt “totally” welcomed when he first joined Ozzy’s band in 1987. “Even those very first shows, everyone was rooting for me because they knew I was on the team, and loved Randy Rhoads as much as they did,” he said. “They could see I played Randy’s stuff exactly his way, and had the highest respect for what he did. There’s no way you can fill his shoes, so you just have to give respect to his music and play it accurately. You have to, because this is the house that Rhoads built. And without Randy Rhoads, there never would have been a Zakk Wylde.”

Asked what influence Randy’s playing had on him, having played his songs countless times around the globe for over 20 years, Wylde said: “One of the biggest things I learned from him is construction, and where you can go with a solo by playing Randy’s music. He was a brilliant soloist who had such a melodic sense — there’d be a beginning, middle and end, as he could tell a whole story in a song. He had ‘feel,’ which is something only the greats have, you know what I mean? When I listen to Randy, I feel every single note as his solos are like gold. It doesn’t matter how many times you listen to Randy’s music, you’re waiting for those incredible moments that were all part of his tremendous arsenal. The testimony to Randy’s greatness is the fact that we still all remember him, and see his image on magazine covers, in books, and posters everywhere. He’s a legend for what he accomplished on those first two Ozzy records, and I’ve always considered it the highest honor performing Randy’s music all those years playing live with the boss.”

Watch the Instagram post AT THIS LOCATION.