“Forever grateful. Thank you for everything.” – Jelly Roll, 40, country music star with deep rock roots, soulfully honoring Ozzy Osbourne on Instagram, just days after the Prince of Darkness passed

Ozzy Osbourne was called many things during his career, including the “Godfather of Heavy Metal,” “Prince of Darkness,” and “The Madman,” among others. And, while it’s no surprise that heavy metal musicians such as Rob Zombie and Metallica have given emotional tributes to Ozzy, his influence stretched much further.

Rapper Drake honored Ozzy at a recent concert, as did Coldplay. Elton John referred to him as a “dear friend” in an emotional Instagram post. Ozzy touched an extraordinary number of people, and now Jelly Roll adds his name to the list.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images for The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Jelly Roll Calls Himself a ‘Huge Ozzy Fan’

On July 24, two days after Ozzy Osbourne died, Jelly Roll took to his Instagram stories to post a throwback photo of him, Ozzy, and musician Andrew Watt at the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All of them are smiling and laughing. He captioned the photo: “Forever grateful. Thank you for everything,” along with a heart emoji.

That night, the “American Idol” Artist-in-Residence performed Ozzy’s classic hit, “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” to celebrate the “Black Sabbath” singer’s induction into the Hall of Fame. He played the song alongside Watt, Ozzy’s longtime producer, and Zakk Wylde, who co-wrote the song and played guitar on the original recording. Metallica’s bassist Robert Trujillo and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith also joined the song. Ozzy watched from his throne on the sidelines.

“I’m a huge Ozzy fan,” Jelly Roll told Rolling Stone about “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” “That’s one of my favorite Ozzy songs.” Ozzy also seemed to appreciate Jelly Roll’s countrified version of his song.

“Who doesn’t love Jelly Roll?” he told Rolling Stone at the time. “His voice is soulful, pure, and dirty. I’m so honored that someone would do this for me who I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting.”

Ozzy Refused to Perform Country Music

Country star Carrie Underwood also previously performed “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” and he’s had collaborations with Kid Rock and Post Malone. Although Ozzy liked country music, he made it very clear that he had no intention of crossing over, ever.

“Not me, no thank you,” he previously told Rolling Stone after Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler put out the country album “We’re All Somebody from Somewhere.”

“Personally, I think you should stick to what you know best,” he said. “If Steven [is] having a good time with it, who am I to complain? But it would be absurd for me to do that.”