SEBASTIAN BACH On Deaths Of OZZY OSBOURNE And ACE FREHLEY: 'For Me, That Sadness Comes In Waves'

In a new interview with Loudwire Nights' Chuck Armstrong, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach spoke about the recent deaths of Ozzy Osbourne and Ace Frehley. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think the grief process for people is different. For me, that sadness comes in waves, or it'll hit me when I'm not expecting it. Like with Ace Frehley. I mean, I love Ozzy, but Ace is a childhood… That's like Santa Claus to me. That's like a character. Well, so is Ozzy, but, but KISS with the makeup and the costumes and the comic books and the toys, that's a whole different thing.

"I'll be listening on the airplane to the first Ace solo album, and, and a song like 'What's On Your Mind?'" he continued. "I don't know how deep cuts you go, but there's certain songs where the way he plays his guitar just melts my heart. And even 'Got To Choose' off [KISS's] 'Hotter Than Hell' [album]. His sense of melody was so beautiful and unique. The notes that he chose in those songs are just incredible.

"So I'm not walking around bawling my eyes out, because, to be honest with you, when my dad died back in 2002, I did walk around bawling my eyes up for, like, a year," Bach admitted. "And I said, 'Fuck this.' I go, 'I'm not gonna let somebody's dying take me off my game any anymore.' I cried so many tears for my own dad that I said…

"I think every one of us, we have to learn how to compartmentalize. We have to learn how to deal with something like somebody close to us dying, but we can't quit our job," Bach added. "We can't just stay in our house and cry all day. I did that when my dad died. I did. That was a long time ago… I lost my cousin last year as well, who was friends with Ace, which is weird. And we were total KISS freaks as kids, and he was only 52. And if I was really gonna think about somebody dying, I do think of him. But at the same time, part of me is mad at him for dying, 'cause he was so young. Like, fuck you. Why do you do this at your age? And that's a really ridiculous way to think, 'cause obviously he didn't wanna die. But part of me gets angry when somebody leaves me. And it's irrational. It's an irrational thought. But I think we all might go through that."

Bach and Frehley worked together on the track "Know Where You Go" for drummer Anton Fig's solo album "Figments", which came out in 2002. At the time, Bach said that recording with Ace and Anton was "a dream come true and an honor."

In October 2019, Frehley joined Bach on stage at Kruise Fest 2019 at Hilton Blue Lagoon in Miami, Florida to perform a couple of KISS classics, "Parasite" and "Deuce", as well as the Frehley track "Snow Blind".

Back in 2014, Bach spoke about Frehley while commenting on KISS's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and the announcement that the original four members of KISS would not perform at the ceremony. "As a fan, I understand why people would want to see that," Sebastian said. "But as a [middle-aged] man that has worked with Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley, I understand why Gene Simmons doesn't work with Ace Frehley."

Bach added cryptically: "Ace has sides to him that maybe the fans don't see. That's all I can say."

Last August, Sebastian told Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips about Ozzy's passing: "Oh, man. I was still recuperating from the concert, the 'Back To The Beginning' [charity event which marked Osbourne's and BLACK SABBATH's final performance], [when I found out Ozzy had died]. I never pay for streaming or whatever, but I saw, the day after that concert, there was some footage on YouTube from the pro-shot [livestream of the event], and I cried watching it 'cause I love BLACK SABBATH and I love seeing them, at their age, get together and play one last time. So I watched it and I was blown away. And so I invited my friends over, 'cause I've got quite the stereo system in my living room and I said, 'Come on over. Let's watch it.' So I went on YouTube and it was gone. Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager] must have had it pulled down; it wasn't on YouTube anymore. So I said, 'eff it.' I went to the 'Back To The Beginning' web site and I bought this stream. And it was only available for one more day. So I had this packed house — well, I just had a bunch of friends over — and I had paid the money for the stream, and we watched as much as we could. And it was just so heavy watching them that I wasn't prepared for him to die. I was still recuperating from watching that concert, which was only one week or a week and a half before he left us. So the day that he died, I was not prepared. I don't think any of us were prepared, because we had just seen that concert literally days before."

Sebastian continued: "I have this thing, man, that it's probably not right that I do this, but I learned this when my dad died in 2002. I cried so much that I had no more tears left. For months, I was so hurt that my dad died at the age of 57, which is how old I am right now — knock on wood. Anyways, so we all go through that. That's life. Every one of us has to deal with that. But what I did learn is that sometimes I have to compartmentalize things in order to get through the day. And some since my dad died, sometimes now when a family member dies or one of my heroes dies, like Ozzy or Gregg Allman or Eddie Van Halen or Neil Peart, sometimes I pretend that it never happened. I know that's kind of a lousy thing. I just lost my cousin Kevin — he was 52 — from cancer, and part of me refuses to accept that. In my brain, I'm, like, 'Fuck cancer. Fuck you. I'm not gonna let myself really feel that.' Of course, I do feel it, and sometimes it hits me, but when my dad died, I had no compartmentalization. So as I get older, maybe it's cold, maybe it's not right, but sometimes I just pretend that this never happened. And I still haven't accepted that Ozzy Osbourne is dead, because a part of my childhood dies with Ozzy, and I'm not a child. [Laughs] So I'd better get used to that."

Sebastian performed covers of Ozzy's "Crazy Train" and "I Don't Know" during his July 25, 2025 concert at the Labadie Rib Fest in Bay City, Michigan. Prior to launching into "Crazy Train", which was the fourth song of his set, Sebastian told the crowd:  "You know, they called him the Prince Of Darkness, but all he did was make us all fucking happy, man. That's it.

"This show tonight is dedicated to fucking Ozzy Osbourne tonight, Bay City.

"And they said that when he died, he was surrounded by his family and his friends after doing the best concert that he ever did in his whole life.

"We all love Ozzy.

"How many people wanna go fucking crazy tonight? Let's go off the rails on the crazy train."

Bach's current touring band includes his son Paris Bach on drums, "Bruiser" Brody DeRozie on guitar, and Fede Delfino on bass.

In 2014, Sebastian said his "ultimate dream in rock 'n' roll" when he was "fired" from SKID ROW in 1996 "was to possibly some day be like Ozzy Osbourne, in that he came up with [BLACK] SABBATH and then had a successful solo career."

That same year, Bach defended Osbourne against critics, telling TV Rock Live: "Some people think, 'Oh, Ozzy, he's not a great singer.' I say, bullshit. I think Ozzy is an amazing singer, because I feel what is in his crazy fucking mind. Like, he sounds, you know… crazy."

More than a decade ago, Bach released a cover of Ozzy's "S.A.T.O." as part of an album celebrating the legacy of legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT). Blessed by the Rhoads family and including a track by Randy's brother Kelle Rhoads, the CD was made available in January 2015 at the "Randy Rhoads Remembered" show at the Observatory in Santa Ana, California.

In addition to Sebastian, Bach's version of "S.A.T.O." featured Brent Woods (SEBASTIAN BACH, VINCE NEIL) on guitar, James LoMenzo (JOHN FOGERTY, BLACK LABEL SOCEITY, MEGADETH, DAVID LEE ROTH, WHITE LION) on bass, and Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER, PRIDE & GLORY) on drums.