Ozzy Osbourne leads tributes to Bernie Tormé

Ozzy Osbourne has paid tribute to late guitarist Bernie Tormé.

Tormé died earlier this week after he had been on life support for the last four weeks following post-flu complications.

And Ozzy, who recruited Tormé for a handful of live shows in 1982 following the death of Randy Rhoads, was one of the first to pay his respects to the guitarist on social media.

Ozzy said: “What a sad day. We’ve lost another great musician. Bernie was a gentle soul with a heart of gold. He will be dearly missed. I send my sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans. Rest in peace, Bernie.”

Ozzy’s wife and manager Sharon Osbourne also expressed her sadness upon hearing the news, saying: “I cannot believe that Bernie Tormé has passed.

“Bernie helped out Ozzy and I at a time of great need and we will never ever forget that. Love and condolences to his family.”

Other names from the music world to pay tribute to Tormé included Zakk Wylde, Sebastian Bach, Ginger Wildheart, Tracii Guns and Wayward Sons.

Before his stint with Ozzy, Tormé joined Gillan in 1979 and remained with the Deep Purple vocalist until 1981. Tormé also fronted Electric Gypsies and Tormé, which featured LA Guns’ Phil Lewis. He later hooked up with Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider in Desperado in 1988.

Tormé's most recent album was Shadowland, which was released in November 2018.