Ozzy Osbourne is known to many as the Prince of Darkness, but now he’s got a new nickname: “The Betty White of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” That comes courtesy of Peter Frampton, a fellow inductee in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024.
Frampton was asked by Rolling Stone about Ozzy getting in the Rock Hall for the second time (he was also inducted as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006), and the guitar hero responded, “The man is the Betty White of rock & roll.”
We’re not sure Ozzy will be using that as a tagline anytime soon, but Frampton was surely relating the metal icon’s long-lasting career and lovable persona to that of the beloved late Golden Girls actress. As far as potentially jamming with Ozzy on a rendition of “Crazy Train” at the Rock Hall induction ceremony this October, Frampton enthused, “That would be fantastic. Let’s see what happens.”
Meanwhile, Frampton says he was blown away when he learned that he would be inducted into the Rock Hall this year. “It’s something I never expected. Because I was eligible so long ago, I kind of put it into the back of my mind. It’s like before I got my first Grammy for my instrumental record where I didn’t sing a note. I thought, ‘Oh, I’m over this. I’ll never win a Grammy.’ And look what happened. I got a Grammy. It’s because I keep working. I’ve never given up. I’ve kept coming back and doing more stuff, and I’ve kept touring. I’ve re-built a following that is now enormous.”
He added, “The thing that blew me away the most was not actually getting in — even though that is a phenomenal, unbelievable thing. It’s the amount of people who voted for me [in the fan vote]. You don’t quite understand where you’re at until you look at the amount of people who voted for you. Those are the people I need to thank the most. That was a real wonderful shock.”
Fans can see Peter Frampton and Ozzy Osbourne, along with fellow 2024 honorees Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, and more, when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony airs live October 19th from Cleveland on Disney+.