Drake, currently on the road with his PARTYNEXTDOOR-featuring $ome $pecial $hows 4 UK EU tour, stopped by an Ozzy Osbourne tribute site in the late heavy metal legend’s hometown of Birmingham on Tuesday.
As pointed out in a New York Times report detailing the moving gathering of fans and fellow artists at the Black Sabbath Bench and elsewhere, Drake, whose current tour kicked off with three shows in the city, paid a visit to the landmark late into the evening. Earlier that day, news broke of Osbourne’s death at 76, just weeks after his final live performance with Black Sabbath.
“I just came out to pay respects to someone who lived it to the fullest,” Drake said, according to reporter Alex Marshall. The Iceman artist also reportedly “poured some tequila on the ground” in honor of Ozzy, whose final performance helped raise millions of dollars for charity, including the Cure Parkinson’s organization.
Screenshots circulating on X on Wednesday seemingly showed that Drake had initially commemorated his visit to the Black Sabbath Bench with an Instagram update. That post, however, was no longer live on his IG at the time of this writing, though Drake did indeed later share a clip documenting his visit to the tribute sites.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” reads a statement shared by Ozzy’s family on Tuesday. “He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.”
Artists spanning both generation and genre have shared tributes in the wake of the hugely influential rock icon’s death. T-Pain, whose take on Sabbath’s “War Pigs” was once praised by Ozzy as “the best cover,” told fans he was “heartbroken by the news.”