Ozzy Osbourne leads tributes to Bernie Tormé

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By ( Classic Rock ) last updated

Ozzy pays tribute to late guitarist Bernie Tormé - calls him “a gentle soul with a heart of gold”

Bernie Tormé and Ozzy onstage together in 1982 (Image credit: Larry Marano - Getty)

Ozzy Osbourne has paid tribute to late guitarist Bernie Tormé.

Tormé died earlier this week after he had been on life support for the last four weeks following post-flu complications.

And Ozzy, who recruited Tormé for a handful of live shows in 1982 following the death of Randy Rhoads, was one of the first to pay his respects to the guitarist on social media.

Ozzy said: “What a sad day. We’ve lost another great musician. Bernie was a gentle soul with a heart of gold. He will be dearly missed. I send my sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans. Rest in peace, Bernie.”

Ozzy’s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne also expressed her sadness upon hearing the news, saying: “I cannot believe that Bernie Tormé has passed.

“Bernie helped out Ozzy and I at a time of great need and we will never ever forget that. Love and condolences to his family.”

Other names from the music world to pay tribute to Tormé included Zakk Wylde, Sebastian Bach, Ginger Wildheart, Tracii Guns and Wayward Sons.

Before his stint with Ozzy, Tormé joined Gillan in 1979 and remained with the Deep Purple vocalist until 1981. Tormé also fronted Electric Gypsies and Tormé, which featured LA Guns’ Phil Lewis. He later hooked up with Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider in Desperado in 1988.

Tormé's most recent album was Shadowland, which was released in November 2018.

Scott Munro
Scott Munro
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Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.