Gojira‘s Joe Duplantier has revealed the outlandish way he found out that Ozzy Osbourne had died.
- READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne, 1948-2025: culture-smashing revolutionary that redefined rock and reality TV
The heavy metal pioneer frontman died last month (July 22) at age 76. In a statement, his family shared that he was “surrounded by love” at the time of his passing. His death came just weeks after he played a final live show in his hometown, and raised “a ton” of money for charity along the way.
The farewell ‘Back To The Beginning’ show with Black Sabbath featured performances from a massive roster of rock and metal acts – including Gojira. When it was announced that Ozzy had died last month, Gojira were in the middle of a concert in Istanbul – upon being informed that the Prince Of Darkness had passed, they dedicated ‘Flying Whales’ to the late Black Sabbath legend.
Now, frontman Joe Duplantier – who had to announced the tragic news mid-show to thousands of shocked fans – has recalled how he found out that Ozzy had passed. Speaking to Guitar World, Duplantier explained: “We were playing in Istanbul. Three songs in, a fan put his phone up as we were playing ‘Backbone.’ It said, ‘RIP OZZY.’ I was like, ‘What the hell? Please don’t – I’m working up here!’”
He continued, saying he initially refused to believe the news but had to confirm it in between songs: “When I got the chance, I rushed to the side, and my manager confirmed it was true.”
Though shaken, Duplantier and the rest of the band had to get through the show and felt they had to break the news to the audience, seeing as the French metal band had just performed at the Back To The Beginning concert weeks prior.
“I told the crowd pretty straight. I didn’t want to make a gimmick out of it. The reaction was insane: nobody said a word. We played ‘Flying Whales’ for Ozzy as everyone held up their lights. I could see people crying.”
Since Ozzy Osbourne’s passing, thousands of fans have taken to the streets of Birmingham to leave flowers and emotional tributes to the Black Sabbath icon, and thousands more lined the streets on July 31 for the funeral procession. Ozzy was laid to rest at a private ceremony in Buckinghamshire, which was attended by Elton John, members of Metallica and more.
Countless names have come forward to pay tribute to Ozzy, including Zak Starkey, Adam Sandler, Ghost’s Tobias Forge, Alice Cooper, Elton John, Yungblud, Billie Joe Armstrong, Jack White, Coldplay, and Jake E Lee. Touching messages have also been shared by his Sabbath bandmates Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler.
Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford also recently revealed his reaction to the news, admitting that he “just curled up in a ball and bawled my eyes out for hours. I just couldn’t believe it. I still can’t believe it now. I’m still grieving, like so many people.”
