Vinny Appice Says Ozzy Loved Ronnie James Dio, Despite Longstanding Rumors of Beef
The metal world has long bought into the idea that Ozzy Osbourne and Ronnie James Dio hated each other — but according to Vinny Appice, that was never the case.
In a recent interview on Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM’s Faction Talk, the former Black Sabbath and Dio drummer dropped some surprising insight into the real relationship between two of metal’s most iconic frontmen. Despite decades of perceived animosity, Appice says Ozzy consistently spoke with admiration and respect for Dio — privately and repeatedly.
“Ozzy would always tell me how he loved Ronnie. Everybody, you know, created this thing that they hate each other, but Ozzy used to talk about it all the time.”
Appice also mentioned Ozzy’s warm words for his brother, legendary drummer Carmine Appice, saying Ozzy would often tell him, “I really like your brother.” Vinny emphasized that Ozzy was genuine in his praise and would even echo the same sentiments the very next day.
Host Eddie Trunk admitted the revelation caught him off guard, considering how the rivalry narrative between Ozzy and Dio has persisted ever since Dio replaced Ozzy in Black Sabbath back in 1979. Still, Vinny pushed back on that myth, suggesting that most of the drama fans believed in was blown out of proportion.
“He used to, you know, sit down and tell me about Ronnie too. You know, he really liked Ronnie and this and that. And there’s some pictures on the internet where they’re hanging out, actually a festival it looks like, and there’s a picture of Ronnie and Ozzy and they were just hanging out.
“Things get blown up on the internet and you don’t know the truth really, what’s going on.”
With Ozzy Osbourne’s death still weighing heavily on the global metal community, Appice’s comments offer a refreshingly honest — and deeply personal — look at the man behind the myth.
In the end, it turns out that Ozzy and Dio weren’t rivals at all, but two titans who respected each other far more than most fans ever knew.
