Ozzy Osbourne’s Infamous ‘Cocaine Duel’ + Vanishing in Nashville
As the world mourns the loss of Ozzy Osbourne, one of the most infamous tales from his legendary career is resurfacing — a ‘cocaine duel’ with Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth in Nashville, Tennessee.
The wild ordeal nearly sparked a riot in downtown Nashville.
Ozzy Osbourn VS. David Lee Roth: Who Could Do More Cocaine?
In 1978, Black Sabbath and Van Halen were touring together when Ozzy met his match in Roth.
The two frontmen decided to settle the age-old rock star question: Who could do more blow?
According to Roth’s 1997 memoir Crazy From the Heat, what followed was “a tequila and cocaine contest that lasted for days.”
The party kicked off in Birmingham, Alabama and raged all the way into Nashville — with both men running on fumes by the time they rolled into town.
What happened next would go down as one of the most bizarre nights in touring folklore.
When Ozzy Osbourne Vanished in Nashville
On Nov. 9, 1978, Black Sabbath and Van Halen checked into their Nashville hotel ahead of a show at Municipal Auditorium for a crowd of 10,000 fans.
Van Halen, the opening act, made it to soundcheck. Ozzy? He never showed.
Security panicked. Rumors flew. Was he kidnapped? Lost? Hospitalized? Turns out, the Prince of Darkness had simply wandered into the wrong hotel room.
He’d apparently used his hotel key from the previous night in Birmingham (again, Alabama — not Birmingham, England) to enter a room at the Nashville Hyatt that happened to have the same number.
A housekeeper supposedly let him in, and he immediately fell asleep — completely unaware he wasn’t even in the right city anymore.
The Riot That Almost Was
With no sign of Ozzy, Van Halen stretched their set as long as they could — but eventually, the show was canceled.
That’s when things got out of control.
Fans began rioting inside Municipal Auditorium. According to then-venue manager Bob Skoney (per The Tennessean), people hurled chairs into piles, tossed trash cans from the balcony and even tried to light the curtains on fire.
No one was seriously hurt, but the venue took a beating before police could settle things down.
What Happened After Ozzy Osbourne Disappeared in Nashville?
While the bands braced for the worst, Ozzy casually stepped out of the hotel elevator at 6:30AM the next morning — groggy, confused and very much alive.
Three days later, Black Sabbath and Van Halen returned to Nashville and made up the date.
Ozzy Osbourne + David Lee Roth + ‘Cocaine Duel’: Inside the Night Nashville Lost the Prince of Darkness
The rescheduled show kicked off a grueling 10-night stretch with no nights off. Roth would later call it one of the most intense runs of his career.
Ozzy Osbourne Dead at 76
On July 22, Ozzy’s family confirmed that the rock icon had died peacefully at the age of 76.
“It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning,” his wife Sharon and children Jack, Louis, Kelly and Aimee wrote in a statement.
“He was with his family and surrounded by love.”
In recent years, the Black Sabbath frontman had battled numerous health issues, including Parkinson’s disease, several spinal surgeries, and chronic mobility challenges.
Still, his influence never faded — from “Iron Man” to “Crazy Train,” Ozzy remained a towering force in rock music and pop culture.
Ozzy Osbourne’s Wild Ride Through Music City
Ozzy may have belonged to the world — but Nashville still claims a wild chapter of his legacy.
That infamous night in 1978 proves that Music City isn’t just about rhinestones and country charm. Sometimes, it’s the site of full-throttle, blackout-fueled rock and roll mayhem.
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