Lee Kerslake (Uriah Heep, Ozzy) - R.I.P.
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Lee Kerslake (Uriah Heep, Ozzy) - R.I.P.
After a long battle with cancer, drummer/songwriter Lee Kerslake has died at age 73.
He first came to prominence as a member of Uriah Heep, making his debut with the band on their landmark 1972 album, Demons and Wizards. In addition to playing drums on the album, Kerslake also co-wrote three of the songs.
Kerslake would stay with the band until it started to unravel in 1979. At that point he joined with bass player Bob Daisley, guitarist Randy Rhoads, and ex-Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne to form a new band, Blizzard of Ozz. As their first tour came to a close, with Sharon Arden taking over as manager, the, "Band," was changed to a solo project. The promised 4 way split and equal control disappeared thanks to Sharons shrewd, devious legal wrangling. Once the next album was completed (the amazing Diary of a Madman), Daisley and Kerslake were fired for demanding that the original terms of the band agreement be kept Sharon and Ozzy. They were not credited for their work on the album in it's liner notes, and Daisley and Kerslake were never paid their full performance and publishing fees.
Legal battles against the Osbournes bankrupted Kerslake almost two decades later (the lawsuits being thrown out for having been filed past the time allotted to file them).
Following his stint with the Blizzard of Ozz, Kerslake returned to Uriah Heep, where he remained their drummer until 2007, when health issues forced him into semi-retirement (unable to tour).
Throughout his battle with cancer, Kerslake kept his sense of humor and positive attitude. He outlived the expectations given by multiple doctors (according to their multiple prognoses he shouldn't have lived through 2019, maybe not even 2018).
The one silver lining for his last two years was the acknowledgement from the Osbourne camp of his contributions to Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. He made it clear he no longer was going after the money owed him. As his dying wish he just wanted the Platinum albums and recognition from Ozzy regarding his work on those two landmark albums. In 2019 Ozzy and Sharon sent him his own Platinum albums for Blizzard and Diary, and Ozzy included a personal note with them. That made Lee extremely happy.
Lee leaves behind a ton of great work and a fantastic legacy.
R.I.P. Lee.
He first came to prominence as a member of Uriah Heep, making his debut with the band on their landmark 1972 album, Demons and Wizards. In addition to playing drums on the album, Kerslake also co-wrote three of the songs.
Kerslake would stay with the band until it started to unravel in 1979. At that point he joined with bass player Bob Daisley, guitarist Randy Rhoads, and ex-Black Sabbath vocalist Ozzy Osbourne to form a new band, Blizzard of Ozz. As their first tour came to a close, with Sharon Arden taking over as manager, the, "Band," was changed to a solo project. The promised 4 way split and equal control disappeared thanks to Sharons shrewd, devious legal wrangling. Once the next album was completed (the amazing Diary of a Madman), Daisley and Kerslake were fired for demanding that the original terms of the band agreement be kept Sharon and Ozzy. They were not credited for their work on the album in it's liner notes, and Daisley and Kerslake were never paid their full performance and publishing fees.
Legal battles against the Osbournes bankrupted Kerslake almost two decades later (the lawsuits being thrown out for having been filed past the time allotted to file them).
Following his stint with the Blizzard of Ozz, Kerslake returned to Uriah Heep, where he remained their drummer until 2007, when health issues forced him into semi-retirement (unable to tour).
Throughout his battle with cancer, Kerslake kept his sense of humor and positive attitude. He outlived the expectations given by multiple doctors (according to their multiple prognoses he shouldn't have lived through 2019, maybe not even 2018).
The one silver lining for his last two years was the acknowledgement from the Osbourne camp of his contributions to Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. He made it clear he no longer was going after the money owed him. As his dying wish he just wanted the Platinum albums and recognition from Ozzy regarding his work on those two landmark albums. In 2019 Ozzy and Sharon sent him his own Platinum albums for Blizzard and Diary, and Ozzy included a personal note with them. That made Lee extremely happy.
Lee leaves behind a ton of great work and a fantastic legacy.
R.I.P. Lee.