TOMMY CLUFETOS: 'If You Don't Like OZZY OSBOURNE, It's 'Cause You're Jealous'

Acclaimed drummer Tommy Clufetos, who worked with such rock icons as Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie before joining Ozzy Osbourne in 2010, spoke to iHeartRadio's Doug Podell about the passing of the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer. Tommy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, when you lose a guy like Ozzy Osbourne, which it never happened [before], it's a shock to everybody, and it's been a shock to everybody around the world, and you can see in the responses. He deserves the ovation that he's getting. And I was one of the few fortunate people that got to sit behind him on stage and have the time of my life for 15 years. I got to play drums behind Ozzy Osbourne, and every gig was awesome, every backstage was awesome. Every car ride, every plane ride, everything was a moment to remember, and I'll remember it forever. God bless Ozzy Osbourne."

After Podell noted that Ozzy was "a real innovator when it comes to music," Tommy said: "Usually the innovators aren't given the credit because people don't 'get' it. When you're really great at something, people don't really get it. When you make things look easy, people don't get it. When you're great, that's what it is. When you're pretty good, it's easy for people to get.

"Here's what I think: if you don't like Ozzy Osbourne, it's 'cause you're jealous," Clufetos added. "That's all there is to it. That goes with sports figures or certain people… Usually the dislike or the hate is usually out of jealousy. So I know there was a lot of people jealous.

"Ozzy was great. He had this power in his voice and this sound that came out that it didn't matter how high you could sing or how low you can sing, or how pretty you sang, you couldn't do what he did. What he did was special and it was unattainable."

Tommy was lucky enough to have played with both Ozzy's solo band and BLACK SABBATH, having done two full tours with SABBATH as the touring replacement for the band's original drummer Bill Ward. He also performed with Ozzy at the singer's final concert on July 5 at the Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. At the "Back To The Beginning" event, Tommy, Ozzy and the rest of Osbourne's solo band, consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez and keyboardist Adam Wakeman, played four songs from Ozzy's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

Four years ago, Tommy talked to Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com about what it was like to step in for original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward on the legendary heavy metal band's final tour. He said: "To be honest, I've done it so many times where I'm coming in — I've always come in after somebody. That was a higher level of that. But knowing that I've replaced a name drummer every time I've come in, and eventually, I'm kind of maybe possibly this much of a name drummer now, even though I pride myself on trying to stay under the radar, I was prepared for that situation. And I understand that BLACK SABBATH is Ozzy, Tony [Iommi], Geezer [Butler], Bill Ward; I get that there's four parts to that, and I feel that I went in respecting that. And I know that you've got three guys that I was playing with, there's three leaders. Ozzy knew me; he had my trust. And I had to earn Tony's trust. I had to earn Geezer's trust. And I don't do that through saying, 'I'm your guy,' I do that through going in every day and knowing every song. And that's how you earn people's trust. So I think I won them over that way. And I think going and playing the gigs, I won the people over that way. There's always going to be naysayers, and that's part of the business, but my goal was to go out there and kick ass every day. And I can bet that nobody walked out of the show unhappy. So that's the only thing I can do, is do my best playing drums and just go through it. If I didn't do it, somebody else would have."

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. His wife Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.

Image credit: George s Pogacich