Aside from his longtime slot as Billy Idol’s rhythm guitarist, Billy Morrison has collaborated with a veritable list of big names throughout his career, including Ozzy Osbourne – whom he calls his “best friend” in an upcoming Guitar World interview.
“Everyone with a heart was crying the day of that show,” he recalls of the July 2025 Back to the Beginning mega concert.
“Obviously, his health had been declining, and I had been witness to that. I had seen him in more than one hospital with tubes attached. I visited him coming out of surgeries.
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“But you know you don’t go there in your head. Ozzy was so strong and overcame so much. He would text me: ‘I’m in pain. This thing, it’s getting me down.’ I would just say: ‘You’re the strongest man I know.’”
Morrison admits that he expected him to “overcome everything like he’s Superman,” since Osbourne famously bounced back, “time after time after time.” Therefore, he was far from ready when the Prince of Darkness passed away.
“The hardest day I’ve ever been through was his funeral. I flew to his funeral in England, and I delivered a eulogy. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.”
After knowing each other for three or so decades, Morrison reveals that “humor was what bonded us.”
“Sharon would tell you that we were like two 11-year-olds when we got together,” he chuckles. “That’s what made the friendship special. We understood each other in situations where, perhaps, other people didn’t understand us.
“And as friends, there were huge life events for both of us where one of us helped get the other one through… We had a connection.
“I miss him.”
Guitar World‘s full interview with Billy Morrison will be published in the coming weeks.
