Mike Portnoy Compares Ozzy Osbourne's Influence to John Lennon's

Mike Portnoy Compares Ozzy Osbourne with John Lennon (Instagram @mikeportnoy)

JAKARTA - Mike Portnoy remembers Ozzy Osbourne as a musician who had a major influence on the music industry. He doesn't hesitate to compare him to The Beatles legend, John Lennon.

For the Dream Theater drummer, Ozzy was a figure who became the universal face of hard rock. Without belittling other musicians, Portnoy praised Ozzy's visibility to the world.

"His impact is enormous. I don't know if I've ever felt a loss this big... This is as big as John Lennon or anyone else. Of course, in our world, in the metal world, there are losses like [Ronnie James] Dio or Lemmy or Eddie Van Halen, and those are huge. But this is really on a different level than the mainstream. Because he transcended metal, even rock, he transcended music. He was a pop culture figure. So, this is truly a huge loss," Mike Portnoy told SiriusXM, as quoted by VOI from Blabbermouth, August 12.

Portnoy has lost an inspirational figure and hero since the death of the Black Sabbath frontman. He admitted that he's been diligently playing Ozzy's work to commemorate the legend.

"And after he passed away, I went back through my solo catalog. And it's been an incredible musical journey revisiting all of this. It's been incredible. What an incredible career. But, yeah, I miss him terribly."

Black Sabbath's final concert at Villa Park in early July was also a memorable moment for Mike Portnoy. He called it a sweet farewell gift to fans.

"It was a miracle that that concert happened, where he was able to say goodbye to the fans, play his final show surrounded by every band that loved him, grew up with him, and influenced him," Portnoy concluded.