"His persona of this bat-eating maniac had nothing to do with the truth at all." Deep Purple's Ian Paice on the Ozzy Osbourne he knew, and Ozzy's idea for the greatest rock tour of all time

Deep Purple's drummer Ian Paice has shared his memories of Ozzy Osbourne.

Paice, whose friendship with Black Sabbath's late frontman dates back to the early 1970s, speaks about Osbourne in a new interview with The Telegraph.

"I think our generation of musicians is at the age where, when you turn on the news, you almost expect another one of us to have gone," the drummer admits. "But I will say this about Ozzy: he was a much smarter bloke than a lot of people gave him credit for. His persona of this bat-eating maniac had nothing to do with the truth at all."

Paice adds his opinion that Osbourne "was much more of a cerebral man than people painted him as."

"He was very clever," the drummer says. "He was thinking of stuff all the time."

The 77-year-old drummer shares with writer Ian Winwood his memory of one such Osbourne idea. He says that the last time he saw saw the singer, 20-odd years ago in the Swiss skiing town of Zermatt, Ozzy suggested that Black Sabbath, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin should team up for a world tour.

Paice recalls that Osbourne, who was drinking at the time, proposed that the three bands should each play for just 20 minutes a night. The money would be so outstanding, the singer reasoned, that they’d only have to do it once.

Obviously, this proposal came to nothing.

Paice's bandmate Ian Gillan, also briefly Black Sabbath's frontman - on 1983's much-maligned Born Again album - also paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne following his passing on July 22.

Posting on Facebook, Gillan wrote, "Dear Ozzy, I can't help smiling, even now. You improved my life, Thanks mate."

A documentary about Ozzy Osbourne's final years will be broadcast in the UK by the BBC next week.

Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home, a 60-minute standalone programme filmed from 2022 to 2025, will air on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer streaming service at 9pm UK time on August 18.

Clare Sillery, BBC Head Of Commissioning, Documentaries, says: “We are honoured to have had the opportunity to film with Ozzy and his family. The film captures an intimate glimpse into their journey as they prepare to return to the UK.

“It features family moments, humour, reflection and shows the enduring spirit that made Ozzy a global icon. We hope it brings comfort and joy to Ozzy’s fans and viewers as they remember and celebrate his extraordinary life.”