Ozzy Osbourne believed Eric Clapton was stalking him for years because he was “paranoid as fuck”

Metal icon Ozzy Osbourne has revealed he once thought Eric Clapton stalked him for years after the duo posed for a picture together.

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In a new interview with Sirius XM, Osbourne talked about how substance abuse would make him “paranoid as fuck”, describing the sequence of events that led to his belief Clapton was stalking him. “Many, many years ago, me and Sharon were in New York and we had to go to an award show. Everybody was there. And I was still doing drugs and alcohol and I was freaked out,” Ozzy said, explaining he was with the award show host Grace Jones when he “wanted a picture of Eric Clapton, me and Grace Jones together” after spotting Clapton.

According to Osbourne, he believed Clapton was going to prevent the photograph from being released. “I’d never seen it for the longest time,” Osbourne continued, revealing that he spotted Clapton at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting around 10 years later. Osbourne recounts, “And I’m, like, ‘Fucking hell.’ I’m thinking, ‘He still remembers.’ Not thinking of what he’s done in the last 10 years. I’m thinking, ‘All he’s done, he’s still thinking how much he hates me.’ So I’m thinking, ‘At the end of the meeting, I’m gonna go out that door. I’m fucking legging this.’ I’m thinking, ‘He hates me. He’s gonna call me the biggest cunt he ever met.’ So, I’m just going back to cross the road. I’ll get in the car and drive off.’

“A couple weeks later, I go again. There he is again. I’m thinking, ‘This fucking guy…’ Yeah. I’m paranoid as fuck. So, I’m just about to cross the road and get in my car and drive off. He goes, ‘Ozzy.’ I go, ‘Here we go.’ And he goes, ‘Good to see you in the room.’ We had a chat and I thought, ‘Wow, what a nice guy.’ The fucking next week, I go to a music stand and that photograph was in the magazine, the first magazine I picked up.”

Osbourne recently released Patient Number 9, his first single in two years. The single, which is taken from the Prince of Darkness’ upcoming 13th studio album of the same name, features Jeff Beck on guitar.  it is rumoured that the new record may feature Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers on drums, Metallica’s Robert Trujillo back on bass and even Zakk Wylde returning to gig where he first made his name.