Ozzy Drummer Randy Castillo Dies
Drummer Randy Castillo, who played with Ozzy Osbourne from 1986 to 1997, died yesterday, after a long battle with cancer; he was fifty-one.
Born in New Mexico in 1950, Castillo moved to Los Angeles in the Seventies and found work with a handful of local bands. In 1984, he backed Lita Ford on Dancin’ on the Edge, and a year later he auditioned for Osbourne. Castillo’s first recording with Osbourne was 1986’s The Ultimate Sin, and he remained in Ozzy’s band for two other studio recordings (1989’s No Rest for the Wicked and 1991’s No More Tears) as well as the 1990 live album Just Say Ozzy.
He joined Motley Crue in 1999, replacing Tommy Lee, who had left to form Methods of Mayhem. Castillo drummed on the Crue’s 1999 album, New Tattoo, and planned to tour with band, but illness forced him to back out.
“I am heartbroken about the passing of one of my dearest friends,” Osbourne said. “I will see you on the other side, Randy. I love you.”
“He always had a smile and positive things to say about everything and everybody,” Crue bassist Nikki Sixx said. “He was a great drummer, a great caring person and a very spiritual soul.”
