Drummer Lee Kerslake, who is best known as the drummer featured on some of Ozzy Osbourne’s most commercially successful solo albums Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of A Madman passed away at the age of 73 on September 19. The performer was also a long time drummer for the English rock outfit Uriah Heap, running a decades-spanning career with the latter outfit.
“It was a great honor to help grant Lee his dying wish of receiving his platinum records awards for his brilliant drumming and song writing abilities on the Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of A Madman records, after 39 years. It was also a true honor to join with Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne to make that possible for Lee,” Metal Hall of Fame President/CEO Pat Gesualdo said in a press statement.
Kerslake and Osbourne had a falling out during the late 1980s over royalties and financial payments regarding his work on the projects, which spanned decades. This feud was eventually mended in 2019, after Gesualdo notified Osbourne about Kerslake’s battle with terminal cancer. During the 2019 Metal Hall of Fame Awards, Osbourne and his wife Sharon awarded Kerslake his dying wish to receive the platinum records for his work on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of A Madman.
The performer held two stints with Uriah Heap, performing with the band from 1971 to 1979 and again from 1981 and 2007. He has appeared in 29 different projects for the group since 1971, which consists of a mix of live and studio driven projects as well as some concert compilations.
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