Ozzy Osbourne sends terminally ill former bandmate long-awaited platinum records

Last month, former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Lee Kerslake revealed that he had eight months to live in his battle with prostate cancer and bone cancer, among other ailments. He also expressed sadness in never receiving platinum records for his work on the first two Ozzy Osbourne solo albums, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman.

Now, Ozzy Osbourne went ahead and sent Kerslake framed platinum discs for both of those albums, a gesture that was revealed yesterday on Ozzy’s social media pages.

The drummer, along with bassist Bob Daisley, had sued Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne for proper royalties on those two classic albums, eventually losing the case. The legal action had also sent Kerslake into financial ruin, who said in the same interview last month that the litigation left him “bankrupt.”

Kerslake and Daisley’s names were left off Diary of a Madman completely, with their replacements Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo being credited in the liner notes. Moreover, both albums were re-released in the early 2000s with the drum and bass tracks re-recorded by Faith No More’s Mike Bordin and Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, who were members of Ozzy’s solo band at the time. The albums would eventually be reissued again with the original Kerslake and Daisley tracks in 2011.

Regarding the platinum albums, the drummer told The Metal Voice, “I’ve written to Sharon and Ozzy recently, a personal letter basically asking them to kindly send me platinum album certifications for Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, to hang on my wall before I die. It’s on my bucket list.”

Ozzy apparently received that letter or saw the headlines that last month’s interview made, tweeting, “I’m so glad that Lee Kerslake is enjoying his Blizzard and Diary platinum albums. I hope you feel better. Love, Ozzy,” along with a photo of Kerslake holding the framed platinum records with a letter from Ozzy resting on his chest.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, 1980’s Blizzard of Ozz has been certified quadruple platinum for shipments of 4 million copies, while 1981’s Diary of a Madman has been certified triple platinum for 3 million units moved.

Kerslake, who was also a longtime member of Uriah Heep, hopes to beat the doctor’s prognosis, saying he’s already done it once. “It’s prostate cancer but it’s moved to rest of my body I have now have bone cancer which is nasty one, so the doctor gave me about eight months to live. But I’ve been fighting all the way,” the drummer said of his health.

He added, “Five years ago they gave me four years to live and so that gives you an idea. Not only have I got bone cancer I’ve got psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis and two heart murmurs. As I said to you I’m fighting it and there’s no telling what can happen and they might have a new drug come out and I’ll experiment with it if it keeps me alive.”

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