Legendary heavy rock drummer Tommy Aldridge has explained why he wasn’t part of Ozzy Osbourne and BLACK SABBATH’s final show, “Back To The Beginning”, which took place last July in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
In a newly released audio clip, which was made available via Aldridge’s official YouTube channel, the drummer emphasized that there was never any ill intent behind his absence.
“Well, I don’t wanna cast dispersions. I don’t want to shade anyone,” he said. “I wasn’t invited to be at Ozzy’s last show. That’s as much as I need to say. I wasn’t invited. And I’m not gonna crash someone else’s party. I will say, but that has no reflection on Ozzy. I have so much admiration and love for Ozzy. Ozzy was someone I spent a lot of time with, and it was by no means any disrespect intended on my part — certainly not — and the powers that be. I pay my highest regards and respects to Ozzy Osbourne on any opportunity I get to do that.”
Asked what made him so motivated to become part of Ozzy’s band back then, Tommy said: “What motivated me to start with Ozzy was a gentleman by the name of Randy Rhoads and being able to go on stage with that gentleman every night and be in close proximity to his guitar playing. That was my motivation in working with Ozzy. Unfortunately, that was very short lived, ’cause Randy was tragically taken from us and the plane crash, and the trauma of that and everything, that was a very bittersweet time in my career. The high watermark from a musical perspective was working with Randy, and the low watermark, from a personal perspective, was Randy. So it was a ‘damned if you do, damned if you don’t’ time in my career. Working with Randy was indescribably inspirational and devastatingly depressing at the same time with his loss.”
Tommy continued: “We’re made up of our past, present, and future, and your past helps you deal with what comes at you around the corner. Life is a learning experience. So everything that I’ve done in my career has prepared me for what’s ahead. But that was one of them, certainly, working with Randy.”
Reflecting on his working relationship with Ozzy, Tommy said: “I was pretty much established before I ever worked with Ozzy, from previous bands. In fact, Ozzy was interested in extending the offer to me from having heard me play when I was in bands that supported Ozzy. My first tour, actually, abroad, first internationally known band, was a band called BLACK OAK ARKANSAS, and the first dates that I did internationally were supporting BLACK SABBATH. That’s when I met Ozzy. And that was … a long, long time ago. He shared some of his success with me. I would like to think that I, in some small way, participated, especially in the early, early times when he was unceremoniously dispatched from the only band he’d ever played in, BLACK SABBATH, I can imagine. Well, I know firsthand the trauma that was for him; I was there. I was living in England when all that was coming around. I was working with Gary Moore at the time, who was signed to the same label that Ozzy was ultimately signed to. So, yeah, I had some experiences with Ozzy that no one really knows anything about. I knew Ozzy before other people knew Ozzy, so I met Ozzy way before he met his wife, and so forth and so on. So we had a relationship that superseded Randy Rhoads, and I have a lot of respect and appreciation for what Ozzy has done, not just in my career, but what he’s done musically.”
Following the news of Osbourne’s passing in 2025, Aldridge paid tribute to the late singer, honoring him as a “friend and brother” and calling him a “force in music.” He also recalled stepping in to help Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne navigate the band’s direction after the tragic death of Randy Rhoads in 1982, including assisting with the audition process for new guitarists such as Jake E. Lee.
Aldridge is best known for his work with BLACK OAK ARKANSAS, the PAT TRAVERS BAND, Ozzy Osbourne, WHITESNAKE, THIN LIZZY, Ted Nugent, Gary Moore and Vinnie Moore. He joined Ozzy Osbourne’s solo band in 1981, later appearing on “Bark At The Moon” (1983) and the live albums “Speak Of The Devil” and “Tribute”.
Tommy joined WHITESNAKE in 1987, replacing drummer Aynsley Dunbar, and first appeared on the band’s 1989 album “Slip Of The Tongue”. Aldridge went on to record six studio albums with WHITESNAKE and remained a key member until the band’s effective retirement in November 2025.
In 2025, Rudy Sarzo, Brad Gillis and Tommy Aldridge reunited for a cover of THE WHO’s “The Real Me”, featuring singer Rick Hughes, best known for his powerful voice as the frontman of the legendary metal band SWORD and the hard-rock outfit SAINTS & SINNERS. The track appears on Hughes’s solo album “Redemption”, which was released on October 24, 2025.
Aldridge is also a member of ICONIC, a hard rock supergroup featuring Michael Sweet and Joel Hoekstra on guitars, Marco Mendoza on bass, Nathan James on vocals and Aldridge on drums. The band’s 2022 debut album, “Second Skin”, was followed by a completed sophomore album scheduled for release in summer 2026.
At 75, Aldridge is widely regarded as the most veteran active heavy rock drummer, still delivering remarkable power, speed, precision, and relentless double-bass work, while enjoying playing the drums more than ever. Notably, he was using two bass drums long before it became fashionable in rock and metal, helping to shape a heavier, more powerful approach to drumming that influenced generations of players.
While official videos will continue to be shared on Aldridge’s YouTube channel, OfficialAldridgeWorld, Tommy’s new web site, AldridgeWorld.com, will serve as the definitive source for announcements, releases, and merchandise. Several major announcements are planned for 2026.