RONNIE JAMES DIO On 'THE OSBOURNES': 'OZZY Has Been Used'

Former BLACK SABBATH frontman Ronnie James Dio believes that Ozzy Osbourne's current prevalence in the media will ultimately harm his musical legacy — particularly in the eyes of those "intelligent" enough to see how Ozzy "has been used" as a marketing tool by those around him.

"I think that the things [Ozzy]'s done should be judged as musical pieces and not as what people perceive them as," Dio told KNAC.com in response to a question about the effect of Osbourne's media overexposure on how his body of work is perceived. "I think you will find that those who really, dearly take Ozzy to heart whether it be musically or just from his huge fan base will not be deterred in any way, shape or form by what they see with Ozzy. They will make their own excuses for him. Intelligent people though will see how the man has been used — I really feel that that's what's happened to him. I think that he obviously has some health problems, and that may have contributed to some of this. Let's face it, the fact that he was supposed to be such an evil person but is now being portrayed as the opposite, is really just another way for them to market the product. I think there are some though who did initially hear the name 'Ozzy Osbourne of BLACK SABBATH' and thought this is gonna be one demonic guy, and then they turn around and see this show, and although it doesn't necessarily tarnish him, it does demystify what they thought he was going to be. I would so much have preferred my memory of Ozzy's legacy to be that of 'here's one of the guys who created the genre of heavy metal.' BLACK SABBATH were the band who created it all as far as I'm concerned — not my part of it — but their part of it. I would rather remember him for what he created rather than what I see which doesn't demystify him to me because I know him, but I do think it harms his musical legacy — I really do."