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Randy Rhoads, guitarist with Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz, was killed in a flying accident on Friday in Florida. Randy, who was mid way through an American tour with the band, had hired a plane in Orlando Florida together with the band's 58 year-old make-up artist Rachel Youngblood, who was also killed in the crash. After take-off the plane had twice buzzed the bus and on the third swoop a wing clipped the bus (which was parked by the airfield and in which Ozzy Osbourne was sleeping at the time) and then crashed into a nearby house, though no one was injured in the house or bus. Obviously the immediate tour dates have been cancelled and it's still too early to say how the band's plans will be affected by the accident. Graham Oliver, guitarist with Saxon who toured with Ozzy in Europe recently, paid the following tribute on hearing of the tragedy. "'Crazy Train' is one of the best rock standards ever written science 'Smoke on the Water' and it's a great shame that he will never write any more. Randy was one of the nicest and most modest musicians I have ever had the pleasure to jam with and it's a tragedy that he has died just when this band were at the height of their career, cutting him off at his prime."
The Day The Music Died - Index