It has been confirmed that Jack Black will be inducting Ozzy Osbourne into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this month.
The Prince of Darkness will be receiving an all-star tribute during the ceremony which will take place on October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. A tribute in honour of the ‘Crazy Train’ singer’s solo career will also be taking place with the likes of Billy Idol, Tool‘s Maynard James Keenan, and country artist Jelly Roll performing Osbourne’s tracks at the event.
The backing band will be comprised of bassist Rob Trujillo – who was in the Prince of Darkness band prior to joining Metallica – Zakk Wylde, Wolfgang Van Halen, Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ Chad Smith, guitarist Steve Stevens and producer Andrew Watt.
Black – who is an avowed metalhead, fronting the duo Tenacious D and previously performed a rendition of Osbourne’s ‘Mr. Crowley’ with a group of teens in a School Of Rock style last year – will be inducting the metal icon during the ceremony and providing a speech.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony will be live-streamed on Disney+, and a televised special will air on ABC and be available on Hulu at a later date.
It will mark the second time Osbourne is inducted into the hall of fame, with the first time he went in as a member of Black Sabbath back in 2006.
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Speaking to Rolling Stone about receiving the honour, Osbourne said via email: “I don’t know what to think. I’m still in shock that I’m getting inducted for a second time. But at the same time, I’m very excited.”
Elsewhere, earlier this summer, Black promised that Tenacious D would “be back” after the controversy that followed bandmate Kyle Gass’ Donald Trump comments.
Black made the decision to cancel the rest of the duo’s tour after Gass joked about the assassination attempt on Trump.
When asked about the Tenacious D situation, Black told Variety: “We need to take a break. Everybody needs a break sometime. And we’ll be back.”
He also said that he’s still friends with Gass, and that they’ve spoken since the controversy. “Yeah, we’re friends. That hasn’t changed,” he said. “These things take time sometimes… And we’ll be back when it feels right.”
In other news, Osbourne continues to be linked with rumours of a final one-off reunion with Black Sabbath, with all four members including drummer Bill Ward appearing to be provisionally on board.
The singer previously shared that he would “jump at the chance” to play a final Black Sabbath show with Ward.
At the beginning of the year, Sharon Osbourne – Ozzy’s wife and manager – revealed that they are planning “two more shows to say goodbye” before he fully retires from performing live.
She reportedly hinted that the Prince Of Darkness, 75, would stage the pair of farewell concerts at the Villa Park football stadium in his home city of Birmingham.
Osbourne previously announced his retirement from touring last February, calling off his scheduled European and UK tour dates in the process. Later that month, however, he said he hoped to return to the stage at some point in the future.