Photo by Fin Costello/Getty Images

Today marks what would have been Randy Rhoads’ 65th birthday. Unfortunately we lost the heavy metal guitarist who played for Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne at the young age of 25 in a 1982 plane crash. Even with a short amount of time on Earth, Rhoads made an extraordinary impact on heavy metal with his virtuoso musical talent.

When Rhoads initially auditioned for Ozzy, even the Prince of Darkness was completely awestruck. “He played this f***ing solo and I’m like, ‘Am I that f***ing stoned or am I hallucinating or what the f**k is this!” Osbourne said about watching Rhoads perform for the first time as he hired him without hesitation. Rhoads was known for his caring heart of gold as well, and his last conversation with Ozzy was encouraging him to give up drinking. He told him, “You’ll kill yourself, you know, one of these days”

It’s been decades since we lost him, but rock ‘n’ roll still feels the sting of losing such an iconic figure. We will continue to celebrate Rhoads’ impactful life for the rest of time.

Watch another one of Randy Rhoads’ wild live guitar solos with Quiet Riot here: