Judas Priest have recorded a cover of Black Sabbath’s War Pigs, featuring the late Ozzy Osbourne in what would become one of his final musical contributions.
The heavy metal legends were approached by Sharon Osbourne – Ozzy’s wife and longtime manager – shortly before his passing on July 22 at the age of 76. She reached out with a heartfelt request to have Ozzy feature on the track, a collaboration that now carries even deeper significance.
Speaking on the Full Metal Jackie podcast, frontman Rob Halford revealed: “What is cool and kind of waiting in the wings is Ozzy singing with me, doing War Pigs together. We’ve been able to do that—it’s there. We’re just going through the rigamarole of legal clearance.”
Halford described the experience as a career-defining moment: “Ozzy’s singing a line, then I’m singing a line, and back and forth. It’s the first time in my entire life I’ve been able to duet with Ozzy, and I’m so eternally grateful and blessed that I got to do that.”
Recalling Sharon’s role in making the duet happen, Halford added: “She approached me with this idea. She said, ‘I love your version of War Pigs. Is there a way we can get Ozzy?’ I was like, ‘You’re asking me? This is gonna happen!’”
The Breaking the Law hitmaker said the track should be cleared for release “pretty soon,” and promised fans something truly monumental: “When you hear it, it’s just colossal.
You think you’ve heard Priest’s War Pigs, but when you hear it with Ozzy singing on that track, it goes to a really special place.”
Following the devastating news of Ozzy’s death, Halford shared his grief in an emotional interview with Detroit radio station WRIF:
“Oh, man. I got a call the day it happened. I’d just put the phone down in my hotel room—I think I was in Leeds—and I 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.”