New Photo Reveals Johnny Cash + Ozzy Osbourne Friendship

Ozzy Osbourne may not have longed to "go country," but that doesn't mean he didn't have any country music friends.

Johnny Cash's son John Carter Cash just shared a memory of his father with the "Crazy Train" singer.

• Ozzy Osbourne died on Tuesday morning (July 22). He was 76.
• On July 5, he performed at the Back to the Beginning concert in Birmingham, England, during what was advertised as his final show.
• Carrie Underwood, Jelly Roll and Hardy are among the country stars who called themselves fans.

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There have not been many country tributes to Osbourne since his death, but over the last few years, several artists and musicians in the country music community noted an appreciation for the pioneering metal musician.

Perhaps it's no surprise that the "Man in Black" befriended the "Prince of Darkness."

Were Johnny Cash and Ozzy Osbourne Friends?

A story at the Vintage Naut Art Facebook thread (h/t Saving Country Music) tells of Cash and Osbourne meeting at the Betty Ford Clinic in 1986.

The original source for Osbourne's quote about the meeting and his appreciation for Cash is not known, however, so we'll ask you to read it with some level of skepticism.

"He was just so cool," Osbourne allegedly said. "I mean, here’s this guy who’s done everything I’ve done — drugs, booze — but he still had this aura about him. He gave me hope."

Whether or not Osbourne actually said that may never be clear, but Cash's son John Carter Cash, did confirm his father knew Osbourne.

"A whole lifetime has passed since this night," he writes on Facebook.

"My father @johnnycash knew @ozzyosbourne and dad actually went to the concert with us. I was a monstrous heavy metal fan and Ozzy was my favorite vocal artist."

"This was actually the second time I met him," Carter Cash continues. "Unforgettable memory! May the music live on forever!"

The picture looks to have been snapped backstage at a concert in the mid to late 1980s. That would put Osbourne at the height of his solo career.

Cash was known to cover rock songs on his late-career American Recordings albums, though he never covered Osbourne or Black Sabbath.