In a new interview with WIVB-TV in Buffalo, New York, legendary drummer Vinny Appice reflected on his time with BLACK SABBATH and shared personal stories about what made Ozzy Osbourne such a legendary frontman.

When asked what elevated Ozzy to icon status, Appice gave a candid response:

“Well, he wasn’t known as the greatest rock singer, but he is a great singer, and his antics and his character, on stage, people loved him. And you never know what was gonna happen when he’s on stage.”

Appice went on to recall an unforgettable — and wet — moment during his early shows with Ozzy:

“I played with him with BLACK SABBATH for a little bit in Europe and it was always something. First time [I] played [with him] — [in front of] 70, 80,000 people — and he threw a pail of water on me. The drums were all wet. And then he did it twice. I went, ‘Okay.’ I almost went on the next show with an umbrella. But then at the hotel lobby, we were leaving the next morning, and [Ozzy’s wife and manager] Sharon Osbourne said, ‘How’s everything going, Vinny?’ I said, ‘It’s great, except he keeps throwing water on me.’ And she goes, ‘He did?’ That was the end of the water. So she wears the pants in the family.”

He added, with fondness:

“But what a character. [He was a] great guy, sweetheart. Love him. And sad it turned out to be this, but what a sendoff.”

Vinny also spoke about Ozzy’s final live performance, which took place on July 5 at the Back to the Beginning event at Villa Park in Birmingham, UK, the birthplace of BLACK SABBATH.

“I thought [Ozzy] sang great. And he was trying to get up. He was just so excited, because he loved being on stage. And it was fantastic. And [there were] so many people there. But you just wanna go to the front of the stage and get the crowd going, and he couldn’t get up… I didn’t know what to expect. I heard he was gonna be sitting down, and he couldn’t stand. I wasn’t sure of how this was gonna go down, but that was good. Luckily, they belted him in ’cause, knowing Ozzy, he would’ve went and whatever was gonna happen was gonna happen.”

🥁 Vinny Appice’s Rock Legacy

Vinny Appice originally joined BLACK SABBATH in 1980 during the Heaven And Hell tour. He appeared on two of the band’s classic albums — Mob Rules (1981) and Live Evil (1982).

In late 1982, he left BLACK SABBATH with frontman Ronnie James Dio to form the band DIO, where he recorded several iconic albums:

• Holy Diver (1983)
• The Last in Line (1984)
• Sacred Heart (1985)
• Intermission (1986)
• Dream Evil (1987)

After parting ways with DIO in 1989, Appice returned to BLACK SABBATH in 1992 for the Dehumanizer album and tour. He later rejoined Dio to release Strange Highways (1994) and Angry Machines (1996).

In 2006, he reunited with Ronnie James Dio, Geezer Butler, and Tony Iommi under the moniker HEAVEN & HELL, which produced the album The Devil You Know before Dio’s passing in 2010.

Today, Appice continues to perform with Last in Line, the band formed with fellow DIO alumni. Their latest release, Jericho, dropped in March 2023 through earMUSIC.