The 2026 Grammy Awards didn’t try to sanitise Ozzy Osbourne’s legacy, they honoured the late metal icon the only way that makes sense, loud, heavy, and soaked in red light.
During Sunday night’s ceremony (Feb. 1) at LA’s Crypto.com Arena, Post Malone fronted a hard rocking tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath, storming through ‘War Pigs’ alongside Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, GNR bassist Duff McKagan, producer Andrew Watt, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith (per billboard).
With the stage bathed in blood red, the performance opened with a doomy instrumental before diving straight into Sabbath’s 1970 anti war classic, Malone on vocal duties, he belted the Vietnam era lyrics aimed at politicians who profit off war while young people pay the price.
As he delivered the lines, “Evil minds that plot destruction/ Sorcerer of death’s construction,” the camera cut to Ozzy’s family in the crowd, showing Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne, and Jack Osbourne visibly emotional.
The tribute landed during the second half of the evening’s In Memoriam segment, and the lineup wasn’t random either. Watt helmed Ozzy’s final two studio albums, 2020’s Ordinary Man and 2022’s Patient Number 9, with Slash and McKagan appearing on Ordinary Man, and Smith and McKagan featuring on Patient Number 9.
Malone also famously duetted with Ozzy on the Ordinary Man track ‘It’s a Raid’ (below), making him one of Ozzy’s most unexpected late era collaborators.
Midway through ‘War Pigs’, Slash and Watt squared off in a guitar duel while Malone dropped to one knee behind them, red Solo cup in hand, before jumping up and tapping out notes directly on Watt’s guitar neck.
The whole thing ended in a pyro heavy finale, with Chad Smith hammering out the final drum roll as a youthful image of Ozzy lit up the screen.
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