Over the course of his solo career, the late Ozzy Osbourne worked with a long line of guitar greats, but his partnership with Zakk Wylde is one of his most enduring. Wylde became Ozzy’s longest-serving (and, for many, definitive) guitarist, and contributed to some of his greatest records and tours. In this classic GW cover feature from May 2018, published around the time of Ozzy’s farewell tour, the pair reflected on their three-decade partnership, and discussed how they became metal’s most beloved pairing…

In this GW interview from 2018, the two metal greats sat down on the eve of Ozzy’s farewell tour to reflect on their three-decade partnership, from Wylde’s audition to their wildest stage story

In this classic GW cover feature from May 2018, published around the time of Ozzy’s farewell tour, the pair reflected on their three-decade partnership, and discussed how they became metal’s most beloved pairing…Ultimately, everybody has to say goodbye in one way or another, but for musicians, saying “farewell” seems to be in vogue. In 2018, Elton John, Slayer, Paul Simon and Lynyrd Skynyrd are all hitting the road for what they say will be the last time – and no doubt they’ll see high-priced ticket sales soar.ow you can add Ozzy Osbourne to the growing list of road-weary rockers – the Prince of Darkness recently announced his No More Tours 2 run, a two-year trek across the globe in which he’ll bid a fond, “That’s all, folks!” to his loyal fans.he Oz man is an old hand at this farewell tour thing: Last year, he, along with cofounding members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, brought the curtain down on Black Sabbath, and before then, in 1992, he set out on his No More Tours excursion, although he reneged on his solo act adieu three years later, returning to the stage in 1995 for the Retirement Sucks Tour.

His current road run is a winking acknowledgement of his first, short-lived exit, only this time he swears he really means it – he’s done with touring.

“Okay, but let’s be clear about what this really is,” he says. “This isn’t a real ‘farewell’ tour. I keep saying that to people – I’m not retiring; I’m just not going to tour the world anymore. I’ll still do gigs occasionally. Maybe I’ll do a Vegas thing or something. But I’m not going away forever or anything like that. It’s a ‘no more tours’ tour.”