In July, musician Ozzy Osbourne, AKA the “Prince of Darkness,” former member of heavy metal band Black Sabbath, passed away aged 76. At this year’s VMAs on Sunday, September 7, several performers paid tribute to him, including Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of rock band Aerosmith, guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, and singer-songwriter Yungblud.
Kicking off the tribute was a video introduction by Osbourne’s son Jack and his (Jack’s) four daughters, Pearl, Andy, Minnie, and Maple, each wearing an Ozzy t-shirt. “I know for sure it would make him incredibly happy to see these great musicians carry on his legacy and help inspire the next generation of rockers,” said Jack Osbourne. “I’d like to give a special shoutout to Dom, Nuno, Steve and Joe from Aerosmith.”
Following this, Yungblud yelled a throaty “All aboard!” before making his way to the stage for his performance of Osbourne’s “Crazy Train” and “Changes,” joined by Bettencourt on the guitar.
He later joined Tyler and Perry’s rendition of “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” with Tyler delivering a solid performance despite a fractured larynx and damaged vocal chords sustained during Aerosmith’s 2023 tour. Throughout the performances, a montage of Osbourne played onscreen behind the musicians. The set closed with Yungblud shouting, “Ozzy forever, man!” as he, Tyler, and Perry shared an embrace.
Speaking to PEOPLE exclusively ahead of the performance, Bettencourt said, “It’s incredible. My 15-year-old self can’t believe it. We grew up on Ozzy. He changed rock and roll and metal as we know it. “So I think of the tribute tonight with myself, Yungblud, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry… it’s old blood and young blood tonight.”
Judging by online reactions, it seems they succeeded. One commenter on MTV’s YouTube upload of the performance wrote, “This performance was phenomenal. Most of those babies in the crowd had no idea what they were listening to, but the response was still great.”
Besides the Osbourne tribute, the VMAs also featured performances from Sabrina Carpenter, Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, Lady Gaga, and Alex Warren.
