The recent passing of Ozzy Osbourne dug up a few past emotions for me from the passing of other musicians who I also truly admired. There have been a lot of great musicians who have passed away in my lifetime, for a myriad of reason, but I'll be covering the losses that affected me the most. The ones with whom I feel I have the deepest musical attachments. Since we started off with Ozzy, it's only right we also speak about Randy Rhoads. I'm only 42, so I wasn't even a twinkle in my parent's eyes when Randy Rhoads was tragically killed, but once I started playing guitar and really listening to Randy's playing, I realized what the world had lost. I think you can't talk about Ozzy without also including Randy (obviously post-Sabbath), so for them to both now be reunited in the great beyond brings a little bit of solace, however they are both greatly missed in our Earthly musical realm.
Dimebag Darrell's passing, I think we can all agree, was the most distressing because of how it happened. In terms of my guitar playing Dime's influence wasn't as strong as Randy Rhoads, but he was certainly on the list of guitarists I admired. He himself was influenced by Randy Rhoads, among others. Sadly his life was cut far too short, and what might have been hangs heavy within the minds of his fans.
Peter Steele was the engine that drove Type O Negative. That's not trying to take away from the other guys, but I believe that sentiment may be how they also feel as they disbanded after Peter's passing. A completely one of a kind, Peter Steele's vocals and bass lines gave Type O Negative something no other band had. Although "what ifs" have surfaced, there is absolutely no replacing Peter Steele's vocals. Even though we knew Peter had health issues, even going so far as to make a joke about his own passing five years prior to his actual passing, it was still a bit of a shock.
Ronnie James Dio had quite a career prior to stepping into the boots left behind by Ozzy in Black Sabbath. From his early days with The Vegas Kings, to Ronnie Dio & The Prophets, to Elf, to Rainbow, then to Black Sabbath, to his solo career, back to Heaven and Hell. I think it's safe to say Ronnie James Dio truly loved to entertain. His passing was sad, but he had been sick, and while that didn't completely take away the shock, it did help blunt that razors edge.
Gary Moore had become such an important guitarist to me in the five years prior to his passing. In the early 2000s I had read somewhere that Ozzy wanted Gary to replace Randy, but Gary declined. A complete unknown to me at the time, I started listening to some of his music. This took me from the metal head I had been to the blues lover I am today. Although Gary did play rock, and he did knock on the doors of heavy metal, let's not deny that, his career will mostly be remembered for the blues. By early 2011 I was listening to all the Gary Moore that I could. Sadly, it wasn't long into 2011 when he passed away suddenly.
Jani Lane, to me, is an underrated talent that most people saw as just another hair metal pop singer. When I was a teenager my friend traded me two Warrant CDs for Siamese Dream by the Smashing Pumpkins, and, I'm sorry Billy Corgan, but I feel I got the better end of the trade. I loved Siamese Dream, don't get me wrong, but Cherry Pie and Dog Eat Dog opened my musical world up to a completely different level. I often reminisce about the summer I spent locked away in my dark room listening to Dog Eat Dog over and over while playing Resident Evil Director's Cut. Jani's writing felt far deeper than just your average Aqua Net endorsement. His voice was also one that stands out to me. I recently ran across some of his time in Great White and, no disrespect to the late Jack Russell (himself a fallen musician), but Jani's vocals on Great White songs made them even better. His passing was sudden, shocking, and to be completely honest the one that hit me the hardest. Of all the great musicians on this list, it was Jani Lane's passing that hit the hardest.
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