Rob Halford had a hard time listening to Judas Priest’s duet with Ozzy Osbourne in the weeks following the Black Sabbath legend’s death.
In an October 2025 interview with Billboard, Halford, 74, admitted that it took him a while to get through his band’s charity version of the 1970 Black Sabbath classic “War Pigs” that features Osbourne’s original vocals.
“I would get through 30 seconds, and I would just have to switch it off because I was just so overcome with emotion,” Halford said. “To be in the same experience of that moment with Ozzy was just too much for me, and it was too close. I’m still grieving. It’s still very tough for me because of my friendship and my love for the man. It took me a while to listen to the whole song in one go without any breaks, and now I can.”
Halford revealed that Osbourne was able to hear the finished version of the song just before his death on July 22.
“He, with Sharon, listened to the final, finished mixing, and he was grinning – he was smiling and he was very happy,” Halford told the outlet. “This all came back to us in a note from Sharon, saying he was absolutely thrilled and delighted that we go to do something together musically in this particular way.”
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Halford previously told the Full Metal Jackie radio show that the idea for the duet-style cover came from Osbourne’s wife and manager, Sharon, after Judas Priest released their first cover of “War Pigs” in early July.
“She approached me with this idea, she said, ‘I love your version of ‘War Pigs.’ Is there a way we can get Ozzy?’” Halford recalled. “I was [like], ‘You’re asking me? This is gonna happen.’ So you get Ozzy singing a line, and then I’m singing a line, and Ozzy’s singing a line, and I’m singing a line. It’s the first ever time in my entire life that I’ve been able to do a duet with Ozzy, and I’m so eternally grateful and blessed that I was able to do that.”
Halford, who now opens every Priest show with “War Pigs,” said he cherishes his memories of singing Black Sabbath songs for Osbourne. In August, he told Ultimate Classic Rock he subbed for Ronnie James Dio during a Sabbath tour, with Osbourne giving his approval from the wings. He also filled in for Osbourne when the rocker lost his voice during Ozzfest in 2004.
“I just have the wonderful memories of the two opportunities I was able to sing for him with Sabbath. And then this recent opportunity to cover ‘War Pigs,’ which we still play at the start of our show,” Halford said on the Talkin’ Rock With Meltdown podcast last month.
Halford revealed that he “curled up in a ball and bawled [his] eyes out for hours” after receiving the news of Osbourne’s death in July, less than three weeks after the singer’s Back to the Beginning farewell show in England. “I just couldn’t believe it,” Halford said. “I still can’t believe it now. I’m still grieving, like so many people.”
