On March 19, 1982 : Randy Rhoads dies
at the age of 25.
 Randy Rhoads played a major part in the
bizarre creative impulses of the Ozzy Osbourne rock group.
Rhoads, 25, who lived in Burbank,
Calif., joined the Osbourne group without even auditioning, group
leader Osbourne is quoted as saying. "He was only tuning
up his guitar when I said, 'You've got the gig. Phenomenal!"
Osbourne said, "I have a feeling about people.You could
be the greatest player in the world, but if you haven't got the
feeling that I want to get, I don't go for it. Randy (had) presence."
Rhoads and two other people - Andrew Aycock, 36, of Leesburg,
the plane's pilot, and a hairdresser for the group, Rachel Youngblood,
58, of Los Angeles - were killed when the Beechcraft Bonanza they
were in clipped the Osbourne tour bus, splintered a pine tree
and slammed in the side of a house at Flying Baron Estates, three
miles west of the city on a private airfield. Witnesses said the
plane circled the airport low three times and on the third pass
fell below the tree line and hit the bus.
The plush traveling bus, equipped with stereo, television and
video games, received minor damage. Several broken side windows
and a punctured side panel were evidence of the disaster. The
two story house owned by Voncile Calhoun is considered to be a
total loss. The roof, upper bedrooms and garage were completely
gutted by fire. Firefighters on the scene said there was probably
structural damage to the concrete block walls of the home. Two
cars, an Oldsmobile and a Ford Granada, were also destroyed when
the plane hit the wall and splashed gasoline over the area.
The
group was in the Central Florida area to play at the Tangerine
Bowl's annual event, Rock Superbowl XIV, scheduled to begin Saturday
morning at 11 a.m. with such groups as Foreigner, Bryan Adams
and UFO. Osbourne canceled the group's appearance Friday evening
a spokesman for the promoters, Beachclub Productions, said, adding
that anyone with tickets may get a refund if they wished, though
the show will go on as scheduled. At the crash site, one victim
was found outside the window of the garage, just below where the
plane struck the wall, while the other two were inside, one beside
and one atop the burned out automobiles.
Fiberglass from the explosive
impact of the plane was scattered over more than an acre, with
no part of the plane larger than a telephone except the one crumpled
wing which hit the bus. Four persons in the bus, including John
Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne himself, plus two more in the
house, escaped the flames, and later the group found rooms at
Leesburg's Hilco Inn, remaining in seclusion. Sheriff's Department
spokesman said they were shaken and upset.
Rhoads was voted Best
New Guitarist by Guitar Player magazine poll and chosen as England's
Best Heavy Metal Guitarist for 1981 by Sounds magazine. Rhoads
and another band member, Rudy Sarzo, a bass player, were also
veterans of Quiet Riot, a group which had two successful albums
in Japan, but couldn't get an American contract. Osbourne is well
known for his bizarre stage antics and special effects; such as
biting the heads from bats and doves and "hanging" a
man on stage until he is "dead".
Osbourne has been called "a true geek in a world of make-believe sickies...a hulking,
mugging, leering parody of a devil worshiper" in magazine
articles. However, beneath his gross exterior lies some creative
talent, and he and Rhoads put together two cult albums, "The
Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman." plus
another that is scheduled to be released soon. Rhoads was instrumental
in writing and arranging many of the album's songs with Osbourne
and others.
Osbourne himself is a veteran Heavy-Metal performer.
He was previously with Black Sabbath, with whom he broke two years
ago. While Sheriff's Department investigators work and a Federal
Aviation Authority representative flew in to determine the cause
of the crash, fans may well be contemplating the irony of one
of Rhoads' and Osbourne's last songs, "Flying high Again." and it's lyrics:
"Got a crazy feeling I
don't understand - Gotta get away from here Feeling like I shoulda
kept my feet on the ground - Waiting for the sun to appear."
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