Gojira Frontman Reveals Surprisingly Inopportune Way He Learned of Ozzy Osbourne's Death

Gojira frontman Joe Duplantier reveals in a new interview that he learned of Ozzy Osbourne's death in one of the most surprising and inopportune ways as he was mid-song playing live in front of a packed audience.

There are certain moments where you will always remember where you were when you learned of the death of a significant cultural icon. In this case, Gojira's singer Joe Duplantier actually has documentation of that moment as he was in the middle of a concert when he first learned of Ozzy's passing. The moment initially sparked some disbelief as Gojira had just played Ozzy's Back to the Beginning concert a few weeks prior, but the singer would soon learn it was true.

How Did Gojira's Joe Duplantier Learn of Ozzy's Death?

While speaking with Guitar World in a recent interview, Duplantier said he first learned of Ozzy's death from an audience member in the middle of playing one of their songs.

“We were playing in Istanbul. Three songs in [to the show] a fan put his phone up as we were playing 'Backbone.' It said, ‘RIP OZZY.’ I was like, ‘What the hell? Please don’t – I’m working up here!’ Then I wondered if it was real. When I got the chance, I rushed to the side and my manager confirmed it was true," he recalled.

“I told the crowd pretty straight; I didn’t want to make a gimmick out of it. The reaction was insane: nobody said a word. We played 'Flying Whales' for Ozzy as everyone held up their lights. I could see people crying,” said the vocalist.

The moment was met with plenty of emotions and even some uncertainty as the singer tried to process the news in the midst of playing a concert. As seen in fan shot footage from show below, the Gojira singer stepped up to the mic between songs and addressed the crowd.

"I just heard and I don't know if this is confirmed that Ozzy just died," shared the shaken singer as a shocked crowd responded. "Ozzy Osbourne just died. So I'm sorry, but let's just play something. This one is for Ozzy," shared the singer before rocking out "Flying Whales."

Duplantier admitted that while the band never did covers, they actually had intended to perform Black Sabbath's "Under the Sun" at that show. "How crazy is that? It was very powerful," recalled the frontman.

Gojria's Joe Duplantier Tells an Istanbul Crowd of Ozzy Osbourne's Death

What Was Gojira's Back to the Beginning Experience Like?

As previously stated, Gojira were one of the invitees to take part on the Ozzy and Black Sabbath Back to the Beginning celebration.

Sharing his experience, Duplantier recalled, "We were invited to be part of that iconic photo with Ozzy, but we couldn’t go because we were rehearsing in London — all the spaces in Birmingham were booked. I met Ozzy very briefly on the day. We stared at each other for a second and I was thinking, ‘Oh god, it’s the Prince of Darkness!’"

He adds, “What an honor it was to play. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry. Somehow, the way Ozzy left us was absolutely impeccable. I’m sure it’s the way he wanted. He said goodbye to the fans, made headlines – and then boom, he was out of here.”

Gojria are finishing up a tour of Europe tonight (Aug. 21) with a show in Vilnius, Lithuania. They'll return to the road on Sept. 17 in Ottawa for a run of Canadian and U.S. shows that culminates with their Oct. 4 appearance at the Aftershock festival. The group will finish out the year with a number of November and December shows in their native France. For all Gojira tour dates and ticketing info, please check their website.