Randy Rhoads's Death
Associated Press
March 20, 1982, Leesburg, Fla. A small plane crashed into a
mansion here and burst into flames yesterday, killing the lead
guitarist of the Ozzy Osbourne rock group and two other people,
police said.
The crash killed guitarist Randall Rhoads, 25, the pilot of the
Beechcraft Bonanza - Andrew Aycock, 36 - and Rachel Youngblood,
58, the group's makeup artist and hairdresser. The plane's pilot
was also the group's bus driver.
Randy was 25 years old and at the beginning of an illustrious career when
a freak accident ended his life. An unplanned airplane excursion ended in
a crash into the Ozzy Osbourne tour bus bringing to a screeching halt the
Diary of a Madman tour and the life of one of the most innovative guitarists
of our time. Ozzy tried to explain what happened in a later interview, "I
was sleeping on the bus. Don Airey saw it. At first I thought the bus driver
had fallen asleep at the wheel, crashed into a truck and run off the road.
The plane ripped the bus into a million pieces. All we've got are fragments.
... It was no prank. It was an accident and that's it. For God's sake, if
I ever hear anybody say it was one of my practical jokes that went wrong,
I'll strangle the bastard. It was an accident, a horrible accident. I was
crazy after it happened. I never spoke, I never went out. ... He was a hero,
a true legend. "
"He was a saint," Ozzy said, "He was an angel, and too good
for this world. His death's always on my mind." Every year at the anniversary
of his birth and death, fans from all over the world gather at his grave
site to honor his passing. We will never forget him. His musical legacy
lives on in the minds and music of his many fans.
©1980-2005 International Guitar Research Archive, California State University, Northridge
